2024 Speakers

An experienced professional who co-creates sustainability strategy and action. Huia utilises her expertise and understanding of the principles, tools and strategies of sustainable practice to help deliver workable solutions that support global sustainability goals. Huia has more than 20 years of experience working across private, public and tertiary education sectors; facilitating the development and implementation of environmental policy, programs and plans, assessment and analysis of expected outcomes and advice to key stakeholders on pathways forward.

She has worked extensively in sustainability, circular economy, waste and resource recovery as well as strategic planning, impact assessment and environmental regulation. She has extensive experience developing strategy and implementation pathways as well as undertaking stakeholder engagement and facilitation processes. Huia is a founding member of Circular Economy WA (CEWA), established to act as the circular economy hub for WA and has contributed to numerous other working groups and steering committees supporting the circular transition across Australia.

Dr Lewis Akenji is managing director of Hot or Cool Institute, a public-interest think tank that explores the intersection between society and sustainability. He is a member of The Club of Rome and Commissioner on the Transformational Economics Commission of Earth4All. His work takes a political economy lens to economic development and the environment, with implications on fair distribution of resources within ecological limits. He is lead author of “1.5-Degree Lifestyles: Towards a Fair Consumption Space for All”.

Adam is the Managing Partner and co-founder of Anterra Capital, a venture capital fund focused on investing in innovative companies that are transforming the safety, security and sustainability of global food.

Anterra is backed by Rabobank (the world’s largest food and agriculture bank) and Fidelity. Anterra has offices in Europe (Amsterdam) and the USA (Boston).

Adam grew up on a farm and is passionate about improving our food and agriculture system. He believes that the best way to do this is to bring strong entrepreneurs to the food and agriculture sector and work in co-operation with other stakeholders across the value chain.

Adam has over 20 years of private equity and venture capital experience. Prior to working for Anterra he worked for Rabo Private Equity and Bain & Co.

Adam holds an MBA degree from Cambridge University, England and a Bachelors Degree in Law and a Bachelors Degree in Commerce from the University of Adelaide, Australia.

Catherine is a sustainability professional with decades of professional services experience in economics, research, and finance.  Catherine has had a global career across Asia, Europe and Australia advising C-level executives from medium to large global organisations on business strategy, innovation, and sustainability.

Catherine supports RSM clients to activate and improve on their sustainability program and strategy, advises on ESG technology and tools, industry best practices, regulation and learning and development.  She is a regular speaker and commentator on sustainability issues and works alongside several Australian agriculture companies helping them develop a robust approach to sustainability /climate management and reporting.

Catherine leads the ESG & Climate Services practice for RSM in Western Australia.

Anna has over 20 years’ experience leading strategy and transformation for organisations across a range of sectors including agriculture, logistics, retail, and consulting.
Anna joined Elders in early 2023 and has responsibility for overall group strategy as well as leading Elders’ sustainability and innovation agendas. This includes establishing Thomas Elder Sustainable Agriculture, a venture arm of Elders with a focus on sustainable farming solutions that benefit both Elders’ clients and the broader industry. She is also a non-executive director of AuctionsPlus.
Prior to joining Elders, Anna was General Manager of Strategy at Australia Post where she led strategy development during a period of significant growth and digital disruption. She also has experience in management consulting with Bain & Company, specialising in customer experience and performance improvement.

Edwina and her husband own and operate Blantyre Farms, a 2,200 sow pig farm and a mixed farm of sheep, cattle and crops, near Young.

In operation for twelve years, a methane digestion system captures methane gas from pig manure and converts it into electricity. Blantyre also utilises food waste products for pig feed and saves 13,500 of tonnes of landfill each year. The NSW EPA has awarded Blantyre with a Green Globe Award for Resource Efficiency.

Edwina has a commerce degree from the University of Sydney and is a former chartered accountant turned pig farmer. Edwina is the Chair of the NSW Farmers Pork Committee.

Edwina loves living in a regional community and is proud to be a feeding Australia sustainably.

Dr Ben Biddulph was appointed as the inaugural Chief Primary Industries Scientist at the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) in 2021. As a key member of the Primary Industries Leadership team, Ben coordinates and supports research across the Western Australian grains, farming systems, livestock, horticulture, and aquaculture teams at DPIRD. Prior to this appointment, Ben spent more than twenty years leading, managing, and delivering research throughout regional WA and nationally on issues affecting primary producer’s production and profitability. Ben’s focus had been in agronomic and genetic research into abiotic stress tolerance of cereals. Demonstrating a profound passion for advancing primary industries science, research, and development, Ben brings a wealth of experience in leadership, management, and successful delivery of research initiatives throughout regional WA and nationally.

Cressida believes in challenging the status quo of Australian farming and thinking differently. As an innovator and entrepreneur, she looks at ways to use technology and innovation to support Australian farmers. Building sustainable, profitable and long-term businesses which help protect Australia’s food security.

Cressida has a strong belief in the agricultural industry and is particularly interested in the role women play. In 2011, Cressida co-founded Pecora Dairy, which has been consistently awarded for innovation, research and excellence. Pecora Dairy are the first cheesery in Australia licensed to make raw milk cheese.

Over her 15 years in the dairy industry Cressida has continued to advocate for small dairy farmers. In 2021, Cressida founded Dairy Cocoon, an online platform which helps interested dairy farmers begin the journey of transforming up the value chain.

In 2020, Cressida was awarded the AgriFutures Australia NSW/ACT Rural Women’s Award and subsequently became the National runner up. Cressida is actively involved in her local community, she sits on the board of Australian Women in Agriculture and is the NSW State Chair of the AgriFutures Australia Alumni Committee.

Luke Chaplain is the founder of SkyKelpie. SkyKelpie aims to be the first company in the world to enable widespread adoption of livestock mustering with drones, by developing a range of products and services that will support graziers. Luke is also an award winning filmmaker and sees those skills having a positive impact on his business and the agricultural sector at large.

Michael has over 25 years in food and agriculture, venture capital, environmental sustainability, carbon markets, social impact and law. A seasoned investor and agriculture operator, he has been interviewed by numerous leading media publications including Bloomberg, The Economist, Financial Times, The Australian Financial Review, Asian Investor, DealStreetAsia and Agri Investor. He is a regular speaker on the Agrifood Tech conference circuit and in 2021 was selected as one of the Meaningful Business 100, an award recognizing global business leaders combining profit and purpose to help achieve the UN Global Goals for Sustainable Development. Prior to starting AgFunder, Michael was a founding partner of SeedRock Capital Partners and founder and CEO of SeedRock Africa Agriculture, a social impact investment agribusiness based in West Africa. As a lawyer, Michael advised numerous large investment and operating entities on their multi-sector acquisition and development activities. He has substantial experience of large-scale environmental and sustainability projects as well as acquisitions incorporating complex environmental, development and structuring issues. Michael holds an LL.B and an LL.M degree in International Environmental Law from the University of Sydney.

Richard Eckard is Professor of Sustainable Agriculture at the University of Melbourne and Director of the Primary Industries Climate Challenges Centre (www.piccc.org.au), a research centre addressing the impacts of a changing climate on agriculture. His research focuses on sustainable agricultural production, with a recent focus on carbon neutral agriculture and options for agriculture to respond to a changing climate.

Stephen Forshaw is an experienced senior business leader, having overseen the corporate communications and reputation management function across broad geographies for large international companies. He is an experienced media spokesperson, with strong team leadership experience, and understands the need for communications teams to show their value by being actively and deeply involved in business decisions; not merely explaining them afterwards. He also has strong executive experience, regularly briefing and engaging senior executives on media, issues management and reputation. He also sits on a number of boards in Australia and Singapore.

Alexandra is Chair of the Victorian Agriculture and Climate Change Council, a Non Executive Director of Nufarm, the Deputy Chair of the Australian Wool Testing Authority, a Director of the Australian Farm Institute, a trustee of Helen Macpherson Smith Trust, and a Director of the One Basin CRC.

Former executive roles include CEO of Rural Bank and Executive at the Bendigo and Adelaide Bank Group; CEO of the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal; CEO of the Birchip Cropping Group and Community Landcare Coordinator in the wheatbelt of WA. She has worked in western China and Chile on rural development projects.

Former board and advisory roles include Chair of the CSIRO Agriculture and Food Advisory Council, a member of the Australian Landcare Council, Crawford Fund, Prime Minister’s Community Business Partnership, Victorian Flood Disaster Appeal Panel, Regional Telecommunications Independent Review Committee.

John Gibbs is the Head Brewer and founding partner of Spinifex. He has created a successful range of native Australia botanicals infused craft beers that have been recognised with awards for all entries into the prestigious London Beer Competition in 2020 and 2021. He comes from a pioneering Western Australian family with strong links to the country, agriculture and WA’s unique flora. He has always had a keen interest in WA native plants and botanicals. This started very early in his life – his father was the number one ranger at Yanchep National Park and an amateur botanist who was discovering and identifying a number of previously undocumented WA botanical species.

John has always been a very keen brewer and cook for most of his life, and dabbled in enhancing flavours in beers and food using available native ingredients. In 2017, he began developing beer recipes infusing native Australian botanical ingredients with the view to creating unique Australian style beers. John developed a range of unique Australian fusion beers, showcasing Australian native botanicals, that have the potential to significantly change the taste of Australia. In early 2020, John produced two native infused beers, a roasted Wattleseed Amber Ale and a Lemon Myrtle Summer Ale. After sending samples to the 2020 London Beer Competition, it was a massive honor to learn that Spinifex was awarded a silver medal for the Summer Ale and a bronze for the Amber Ale. Since then, John has produced more award-winning beers, having won awards in the 2021 London Beer Awards for the infused Ginger Beer, WA Pale Ale and Honey Myrtle Ale. John is considered a brewing alchemist

As General Manager, Agribusiness for Commonwealth Bank, Natasha has the privilege of working with a team of experienced, innovative and committed bankers who are dedicated to supporting the goals of our agribusiness customers. Natasha is responsible for the successful execution of Commbank’s agribusiness strategy including products, services and initiatives which enable farmers to expand and grow, to diversify their operations, to explore new markets and to innovate. Natasha and her team deeply understand the global trends which impact agriculture and work with customers to ensure they are well placed to manage both the risks as well as the opportunities these might bring. Agriculture is playing a key role in the transition to net zero and Natasha and her team are working closely with farmers to implement practices which improve productivity and profitability, to finance sustainability projects and to engage successfully in the transition economy.

John Harvey joined AgriFutures Australia (formally RIRDC) in May 2016 as Managing Director. He accepted the challenge to set a new, more commercial direction for the organisation.
Prior to this appointment John held various positions at the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC), spanning 18 years and including five years as Managing Director.
A graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, he was a Director of Australian Crop Accreditation System Limited and a Director of the Value-Added Wheat Cooperative Research Centre.
He has served on the boards of Pulse Breeding Australia, Barley Breeding Australia and the National Soybean Breeding Program. He was a member of the Australian Winter Cereals Pre-Breeding Alliance and the CRC for Plant Based Management of Dryland Salinity.

Amanda is a Wonnarua woman – traditional owners of the Hunter Valley in NSW, and part of the Koorie nation. She has spent most of her life living in WA.

Amanda has more than 35 years’ experience in the mining industry, both in Australia, Africa and Canada – working for Blue Chip miners such as BHP, Rio Tinto and WMC. In 2003 she founded her own Engineering business in the Pilbara – Maxx Engineering which was sold to a large international company in 2015.

In 2014 she was awarded the prestigious ‘Indigenous in Business’ Award at the Ethnic Business Awards at the C20 in Brisbane (for Maxx Engineering), since then has won a number of small business awards both nationally and regionally. She has an MBA and was honoured with a Doctor of Commerce at Curtin University in 2020.

Amanda developed Kirrikin in late 2014 (a social enterprise sharing profits with the artists) to address shortage of authentic Indigenous products. Kirrikin digitally prints gorgeous Aboriginal artwork onto luxurious Cashmeres and silks, turning them into clothing and accessories.

Kirrikin won an Ecommerce award through the Export Council of Australia, and is a finalist in the national awards in 2016. In 2018 Kirrikin again won an Export Council award in the Creative Industries field. Kirrikin is a popular partner for awareness or fund raising activities on Indigenous projects.

In 2017 Amanda joined forces with two other Industry specialists to form Warrikal, and Indigenous Majority owned Mechanical Services business, combining some 50 years of experience in shutdowns and turnarounds in the Pilbara. Amanda is the CEO of Warrikal, and continues her work in Social Responsibility through Kirrikin.

She is on the board of the Wirrpanda Foundation, Curtin University Business and Law School Advisory Board, Save the Children Fund, WA social Enterprise Council founding board, Enterprise Learning Project and a number of other small Indigenous focused boards.

Jackson worked at News Corp for eleven years, including as editor of Business Spectator and associate editor at The Australian where he created premium content for the national masthead, co-hosted The Australian Ag Podcast with Weekly Times and master of ceremonies of the Global Food Forum.

Growing up on a farm, Jackson became interested in business from an early age and in 20 years of covering finance and economics across the world, he has always found himself drawn to stories involving agriculture. Jackson offered a wide range of journalistic experience across print, radio and television.

Julie Hirsch is an award-winning social entrepreneur and innovator, recognised as Telstra’s Victorian Businesswoman of the Year and named on the Forbes 30 under 30 list.

A leader in impact-led innovation, her passion lies in marrying global problem spaces with customer problem spaces, leading to patent-pending and first-of-their-kind products and services that have social good built into their business model.

As the Co-Founder of Eloments Vitamin Teas, the world’s first all-natural vitamin tea that invented a patent-pending blending method, Julie created an overnight success years in the making by securing shelf space in 1500 stores within a year of launch. She then became part of the only 2.7% of venture capital funding that went to female founders in 2019 by closing a nearly $1m Series A investment round in only 8 days.

Julie is also an Entrepreneur-in-Residence with AGL Energy’s Emerging Business division, dedicated to creating innovative solutions for decarbonising the way Australians live and move.

Philip H. Howard is a Professor of Community Sustainability at Michigan State University (USA) and a member of the International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems (IPES-Food). His visualizations of food system changes, particularly trends of consolidation in food and agricultural industries, have been featured in numerous media outlets and policy forums. His publications include the book Concentration and Power in the Food System: Who Controls What We Eat? (2016 and 2021) and the recent IPES-Food report, The Politics of Protein (2022).

Tim Hunt is an independent thinker, specialising in strategic analysis, communication, facilitation and education in the Food & Agribusiness sector.

Tim has more than 25 years of experience in analysing trends in international markets and F&A supply chains and advising processors, branded food companies, primary producers and ag investors of the strategic implications for their businesses.

Through his career Tim has held roles as General Manager RaboResearch Australia and New Zealand, Global Dairy Strategist Rabobank, and senior analyst roles at ANZ and LMC International.

Tim is currently the joint Program Director of Rabobank’s Business Management Programmes and assists companies and large primary producers on strategy.

He is an impactful keynote speaker with experience addressing conferences on five continents.

Tim has worked in New York and Oxford, and as the Principal of Tim Hunt Consulting, now calls Melbourne home.

As the recipient of an AgriFutures Horizon Scholarship, supported by GRDC, Bill has pursued opportunities to increase sustainability and profitability in Agriculture through technological innovations.

Graduating from Australian Natural University with a Bachelor of Science, Bill attributes much of his success to the support of the scholarship. During his studies Bill co-authored a paper on the use of variant dwarfing genes to improve coleoptile vigour and stand establishment in wheat. Bill has also explored innovations in smart ear tags for tracking animal location, paddock use efficiency, pasture use efficiency and welfare.

Synthesising his agricultural experience and a passion to improve both cropping and grazing enterprises, Bill now helps landholders across Australia to start soil carbon projects that encourage the use of new technologies and practises for increased sustainability and profitability.

With curiosity, willingness, and a generosity of spirit, Bryce Ives is masterful at making groups connect and facilitating conversations that matter. Skilled in shaping group dynamics and designing processes that can hold complicated and collaborative discussions, Bryce has produced countless memorable and transformative gatherings that have led to change, action and impact.

His impact includes notable projects in contemporary Australian performing arts practice, youth development, agricultural leadership, social entrepreneurship, rural and regional renewal, diversity representation within the media, and digital innovation in the light of disruptive media ecology.

Bryce designed the Talking 2030 roadmap to get Australian Agriculture to $100 billion at the farm gate by 2030. For the past twelve years, Bryce has focused on building leadership innovation in Australian Agriculture as Chief Facilitator of the AgriFutures Horizon program and for the AgriFutures Rural Women’s Award program.

Instrumental in leading some of Australia’s most enduring community media projects, including as Chief Facilitator of the ABC’s Heywire Regional Youth project, Bryce was also a driving force behind the Student Youth Network, one of Australia’s most significant participatory youth media projects. As a movement, SYN fundamentally changed the face of Australian media and storytelling; Bryce has worked with thousands of young media makers.

Bryce is an experienced company director and c-suite executive with a focus on engagement, communications, public and government affairs, and social impact work. He is also profoundly shaped by his training in theatre making, improvisation, music, and his hundreds of hours of experience as a broadcaster on live radio and television.

With professional experience as a theatre-maker, composer, director and writer, Bryce was the co-founder of the Present Tense Ensemble. This award-winning performance-based ensemble created contemporary music theatre that was immersive, highly sonic, and performed with heart and gusto in the here and now. He is a previous Director of the Ballarat Arts Academy and Gippsland Centre of Art and Design, previous Artistic Director of Theatre Works St.Kilda and of the Fairfax Youth Arts Festival. Currently, he is a curator of the Buffer Fringe in Cyprus.

The culmination of this experience is what drives Bryce today. As previous Vice President of Public Affairs and Communications at Torrens Global Education, Bryce was the chief storyteller of Australia’s fastest-growing university and is now specialising in Creative Facilitation, harnessing the distinctive capabilities of collaborative groups to unlock their full potential and achieve remarkable results.

The Hon Jackie Jarvis MLC is the Minister for Agriculture and Food, Forestry, and Small Business and has been Member for the South West Region in the Legislative Council since 2021.

Jarvis lives in Margaret River and has established her Electorate Office in the town.

Prior to entering politics, Jarvis started her career in the finance industry before moving to Margaret River in 1998 and establishing a commercial vineyard and winery with her husband Matt. They launched the Jarvis Estate wine brand in 2002.

Through her work as a farmer, regional businesswoman and in the public service, Jarvis has a long career advocating for communities in the bush.

She has proved herself as a strong leader, through her work as CEO of the WA Rural, Regional and Remote Women’s Network, during her time as Commissioner for the Forest Products Commission and on the boards of the South West Development Commission and Australian Landcare Council.

Jarvis’ work attracting resettled refugees to work in agriculture saw her named 2014 WA Rural Woman of the Year and national runner-up. She was also named the Rural Community Leader of the Year at the 2019 Australian Farmer of the Year awards.

Jarvis was appointed to the McGowan cabinet as Minister for Agriculture and Food; Forestry and Small Business in December 2022 and is passionate about continuing to provide a strong voice for regional communities in WA.

Dr Terri Janke is a Wuthathi, Yadhaigana and Meriam woman and the owner and Solicitor Director of Terri Janke and Company. Dr Janke is a legal expert and advocate for the protection and recognition of Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property. With a career spanning over two decades, she has established herself as a leading international authority in the field. Dr Janke’s True Tracks® Principles have become a highly-recognised framework for respecting and protecting the rights of Indigenous peoples. Dr Terri Janke continues to endorse the True Tracks® Principles as a tool to empower Indigenous peoples and bridge the gap between Indigenous knowledge systems and Western legal frameworks. Dr Janke was also a Co-Chief Author of the State of the Environment Report 2021, which marked the first time in history that Indigenous voices were included in the State of the Environment reports.

Brad is a Western Australian farmer who has gained widespread recognition for his pioneering data-based farming methods, solidifying his position as a leading figure in Australian agriculture. His innovative use of precision agriculture techniques and data analysis has propelled him to the forefront of the industry.

In addition to his work as Director at Bungulla Farming, Brad also currently serves as the non-executive chairman of Origo.ag, an AgTech company specializing in manufacturing and services.

In 2016, Brad’s exceptional achievements were honored when he received the prestigious Australian Cropping Farmer of the Year award. This recognition is a testament to his unwavering dedication and invaluable contributions to the farming community.

Through his expertise and innovative approach, he is reshaping the future of agriculture in Australia and beyond, ensuring sustainable and efficient practices for generations to come.

Ethy Levy is a trailblazing entrepreneur and impact investor with a passion for merging technology, social impact, and agricultural innovation. Recognized for her visionary approach, she has become a driving force in the development and implementation of sustainable agricultural technologies aimed at mitigating the impact of climate change. As the founder of a cutting-edge startup, Ethy is dedicated to revolutionizing the way we approach farming, incorporating smart solutions to foster resilience in the face of environmental challenges.

Beyond her groundbreaking work in agriculture, Ethy Levy is a staunch advocate for impact investing. Her commitment to supporting ventures that not only generate financial returns but also contribute to positive social and environmental outcomes has positioned her as a key player in the impact investing sphere. Particularly passionate about empowering women entrepreneurs, Ethy actively champions initiatives that provide opportunities and resources for women to thrive in the business world. Her unwavering dedication to creating a more sustainable and inclusive future sets Ethy Levy apart as a true leader in the intersection of technology, climate action, and social impact.

Ethy is the founder of Impact Innovation Israel (Strategic consultancy), Co-Founder of The Bridge Hub (Innovation Hub), Founder of InfinityFresh (Stealth mode venture) and sits on several boards of Israeli and International companies. She is a mother of five, avid mountain bike rider and competitive basketball player.

Devon is focused on solving one of the defining problems of our time – how to feed an increasing population with decreasing resources, without damaging our planet in the process. She is a technologist by trade, and has specialised in applying technology to drive sustainable food production. In her current role, she is responsible for ensuring that Regrow’s world class agriculture resilience platform is successfully enabling opportunities for reduced environmental impact on-farm across Asia Pacific.

Darryl is a proud Maiawali man, passionate about what technology can do for agriculture and traditional owners to provide a more sustainable future. The goal of his business, Rainstick, is to integrate Indigenous sustainable practices with modern technology to address the climate and planet impact modern agriculture has. Rainstick has a passion to increase productivity, reduce waste in a more sustainable way and investigate and adapt Indigenous sustainable practices into modern ag systems.

As the Lead Sustainability Manager for Forests, Land and Agriculture at Coles, Lauren has the benefit of working with some of Australia’s best farmers and industry partners on game changing sustainability initiatives. Lauren has worked in the food and agricultural industry her whole career and has spent the last 10+ years at Coles across a several roles including supply chain, buying and has led agricultural sustainability in the Own Brand portfolio for the last 6 years.

Lauren leads a team of people passionate about sustainable agricultural production and building resilience in the supply chain through technology, engagement and enablement. Through these programs of work, Coles aims to collaborate with Australian farmers to build more sustainable and resilient agriculture supply chains that customers can trust.

For the last 20 years, Catherine has worked in management, strategy, advocacy and leadership for agriculture and rural communities, both in Australia and throughout Asia. During this time, I have become a proven and relied upon business and community leader, focused mostly on stakeholder engagement, capacity building, business growth and delivering innovative solutions to the industry and communities for which she works.

Catherine has a wealth of highly transferable skills, networks and experiences. These include innovation implementation, industry advocacy, informing and enacting strategy, budget management and growth, building collaboration among different stakeholders and capacity building of people, particularly women. Stakeholders Catherine has worked with have include industry bodies, all levels of government, community members, service providers, large corporations and international investors.

Catherine takes pride in leading others collaboratively to achieve an outcome that furthers an organisation, community or industry.

Dr Marrone spent her 30+ year career focused on biological products for pest management and plant health, having started and led three bioag companies (Entotech, AgraQuest and Marrone Bio Innovations (now called Profarm Group), all of which were sold to larger companies.

She is one of only 32 women to have founded a company and taken it public. With co-founder Jim Boyd, the former CFO of Marrone Bio, Pam is launching a fourth company, the Invasive Species Corporation, to bring effective, environmentally friendly biological solutions to control destructive invasive species, in water, forestry and agriculture. She is on the board of the Foundation for Food and Agricultural Research, is a Senior Fellow of the Arizona State University Swette Center for Sustainable Food Systems and is a past alumni-Trustee of Cornell University. She is Chair of the Board of Elicit Plant and serves on the boards of 180 Life Sciences, Stem Express and Pheronym and advises several agtech/agbio startups, many founded or led by women.

Among her many awards, in 2023 she received the Rosalind Franklin Award from the Biotechnology Industry Association and in 2022 she was the first woman to receive the American Chemical Society “Kathryn C. Hach Award for Entrepreneurial Success.”

She has a B.S. in entomology with Honors and Distinction from Cornell University and a Ph.D. in entomology from North Carolina State University. She is a Fellow of the AAAS and has over 400 patents.

Cheryl McCarthy has been awarded AgriFutures Australia Researcher of the Year 2023 for innovative machine vision technology for the Australian Chicken Meat industry to autonomously monitor flock growth and welfare. Cheryl is a researcher in Mechatronic Engineering at the Centre for Agricultural Engineering, University of Southern Queensland and her area of research specialisation is advanced machine vision sensing and automation in remote agricultural and natural environments, to create robust technologies that are accessible to farmers. She has led projects across cropping and livestock sectors. In addition to poultry monitoring, recent research highlights are the commercialisation of machine vision-based weed spot spray technology to international manufacturer John Deere, and the development of automated monitoring technologies for plants in space with the Australian Space Agency.

Cathy is an experienced company director with an extensive career in business, agricultural research, development, extension and politics.

As a graduate of the Australian Rural Leadership Program, Cathy committed to the vision of a “prosperous caring rural Australia alive with opportunities for everyone”. Cathy believes Agrifutures Australia is the premier national organisation for delivering on her commitment, particularly helping build a nation with effective rural policies based on prosperous and caring industries.

Prior to her role at AgriFutures Australia, her career highlights include representing the rural electorate of Indi in Parliament from 2013- 2019, president of the peak national organisation Australian Women in Agriculture, Chair of national Regional Women’s Advisory Council and a community representative at the 4th Ministerial meeting of the WTO in Doha.

Cathy lives in the Indigo Valley, Dudwroa & Dhargal country where the community groups play a vital role in enhancing sustainability within the Murray Darling system.

Harriet Mellish is AgriFutures Australia’s General Manager of Global Innovation Networks; a focus area designed to engage with the global innovation system and ensure Australia is a leader in accessing and adopting as well as developing and exporting agrifood technologies and innovation.

Within this role Harriet oversees AgriFutures Australia’s engagement with agrifood technology and innovation through programs such as AgriFutures growAG. platform, AgriFutures evokeAG. and the producer technology uptake program.

Prior to her appointment at AgriFutures Australia, Harriet held positions within the Coles Group spanning 9-years, including two years as Head of Strategy and Transformation. In her new role, Harriet brings international experience in fresh food sourcing, leading strategy, digital transformation, commercialisation, and operations.

Throughout her career, Harriet has landed digital innovation for beef and lamb processing, launched new product ranges and driven business strategy for the Coles Meat, Deli, and Seafood unit.

David is the Co-founder and CEO of Rumin8, an Australian climate technology company designing solutions to radically reduce methane emissions in agriculture. Rumin8 uses a pharmaceutical-based approach to stabilize and replicate nature’s anti-methanogenic compound, turning it into scalable and highly effective supplements for livestock.

David is a successful international executive with entrepreneurial skills in developing and managing businesses in agriculture, energy and biotech, holding positions at the board and executive management with start-ups and mature companies. He has gained considerable support for Rumin8 from domestic and international climate impact funds, including Bill Gates-founded Breakthrough Energy Ventures, and expanded Rumin8’s presence into key international markets.

David is uniquely placed to realise the commercial development of the Rumin8 technology into livestock production systems. He was born and raised on a family farm in WA and understands the challenges and opportunities facing Australian farmers and producers.

Kieren is the CEO and Co-Founder of Voconiq, a data science and community engagement startup company. He is the lead researcher on the Community Trust in Rural Industries and Community Perceptions & Worker Experiences projects. Built on a foundation of science developed over a decade in CSIRO on the issue of social license to operate, Voconiq bridges the gap between communities and the companies, industries and institutions that work alongside them in eleven countries at local and national scales.

Professor Navid Moheimani is a distinguished figure in the field of Applied Phycology, currently managing Algae R&D group at Murdoch University’s School of Environmental and Conservation Sciences. Navid is an active member of Harry Butler Institute. He is also Chief Scientific Officer of newly formed start up biotech company, Algae Harvest Pty Ltd.

With a profound passion for research and innovation, Professor Moheimani has embarked on numerous pioneering projects. His work spans various critical areas, from the cultivation of microalgae and macroalgae for wastewater treatment to delving into the intricacies of algal physiology and photosynthesis. He’s at the forefront of exploring solar energy conversion to biomass and electricity, pushing boundaries in sustainable energy solutions.
Additionally, his expertise extends to microalgal non-destructive hydrocarbon extraction, techno-economic assessments, modeling algal growth, and the development of valuable products (commodity and high value) from algal biomass. His multifaceted contributions have not only expanded our understanding of these domains but also hold the promise of addressing some of the most pressing environmental and energy challenges of our time. Professor Navid R. Moheimani’s work continues to inspire and pave the way for a more sustainable future.

Bob owns and operates a family farming business in Kalannie; 300mm annual rainfall north-eastern wheatbelt of Western Australia. The family grow wheat, barley, canola, lupins, chick peas and serradella cover crop. He has a strong interest in crop agronomy, soil health, whole of landscape management and resilient communities.

Bob is currently a GRDC board director, sits on the WA Soil and Land Conservation Council and is a member of his local Liebe Grower Group. He is past Chair of the Grain Industry Association of WA (GIWA) and past GRDC Soils Constraints West steering committee member.

He completed a Nuffield Scholarship in 2014 looking into ‘Mitigating Risk in a Dry and Variable Climate’ in response to the drying out and increase in seasonal variability of the WA cropping belt. Bob was awarded the GRDC Seed of Light in 2019 for his work in managing soil constraints.

Sarah Nolet is a Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Tenacious Ventures, a venture firm focused on decarbonizing the food system and building a resilient, profitable future of agriculture.

Sarah regularly publishes her theses on the future of the industry and the realities of scaling a venture firm to thousands of followers globally, and is a respected advisor to agrifood tech companies in the Tenacious Ventures portfolio and beyond. Sarah is also the host of the AgTech…So What? podcast, telling stories of innovators in the global food system.

Robyn O’Brien is an entrepreneur and founder of several ventures, most recently Sirona Ventures, Women Transforming Food and Finance and rePlant Capital, financial organizations scaling climate solutions. Her next book, Seeding Innovation, the Path to Profit and Purpose in the 21st Century, is coming in April 2024.

Dr Michael Patching embodies the principles of integrity, respect, and compassion in his multi-faceted role as a management consultant and advocate in the global meat and livestock industry. He actively promotes ethical practices, focusing on humane conditions within abattoirs and effective pain mitigation methods and is an ambassador for the Better Choices Program.

Exceptional at harmonizing technical, regulatory, and commercial concerns, Dr. Patching’s expertise has resonated across multiple continents. Although highly regarded as a market analyst and commentator, it’s his unwavering commitment to practical animal welfare improvements for the livestock sector that sets him apart. His independent forthright advocacy influences industry stakeholders to prioritize ethical considerations, establishing him as a distinctive and indispensable voice in the sector.

Brianna was appointed Chief Stakeholder Relations, Sustainability, and Strategy Officer in 2015 and is responsible for Corporate Affairs, Government and Industry Relations, Grower Relations, Sustainability, Strategy, DailyGrain and the Growers’ Advisory Council.

Brianna joined CBH in 2010 first serving as Grower Relations Manager then went on to hold other senior roles within CBH including Marketing Communications Advisor and Government and Industry Relations Manager.

She is an alumni of the Harvard Business School Advanced Management Program, Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, a Fellow of the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation and holds a Bachelor of Science in Natural Resource Management and a Graduate Certificate in Corporate Finance.

She is also a Commissioner on the Lotterywest Board and a General Councilor of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry WA.

Ryan Rakestraw is a Director at Temasek, where he focuses on making venture capital investments in early-stage food and agriculture companies. Given the importance of innovation needed to feed a growing global population, to support better nutrition, and to increase the sustainability of global agricultural production – Ryan seeks to back promising entrepreneurs and teams that can profitably address these needs with new technologies and business models.

Previously, Ryan was an early-stage investor with Monsanto Growth Ventures (MGV), Cultivation Capital, and the Yield Lab, which he helped to found. Earlier in his career, Ryan was a systems engineer with Northrop Grumman, where he helped design and implement military platforms ranging from undersea to space applications. Ryan holds a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, a Master of Science in electrical and computer engineering from Johns Hopkins, and an MBA from Washington University in St. Louis.

Abi is a food systems entrepreneur, co-founding Papi’s Pickles in 2014, a food social enterprise providing fresh and tasty Tamil food made by women from these communities who relocated to the UK during the civil war in Sri Lanka, and ImpactVision in 2016, an imaging and machine learning technology startup tackling the $1 trillion food waste problem from a post-harvest standpoint. ImpactVision was acquired in February 2020 by Apeel Sciences, and until September 2023, Abi was a Project Lead at Google X’s Moonshot Factory working on synthetic biology for climate applications.

Craig Reucassel is the presenter of ABC TV series War on Waste and Fight for Planet A: Our Climate Challenge.

It reached a staggering 7.1 million viewers and according to a study by the ABC and University of Technology Sydney’s Institute for Sustainable Futures, led to 452 high-impact waste-reducing initiatives across businesses, schools, universities, government and community organisations.

Also an Australian writer and comedian Craig Reucassel has written and appeared in a swathe of TV programs including The Election Chaser, CNNNN, The Chaser’s War on Everything, Yes We Canberra, The Hamster Wheel, The Unbelievable Truth, Balls of Steel, The Chaser’s Media Circus and The Chaser’s Election Desk and appeared on ABC in the satirical consumer affairs show The Checkout.

Craig has also co-hosted the Triple J shows Today Today, Bloody Sunday and The Race Race with fellow Chaser Chris Taylor. He has also performed in David Williamson’s Jack of Hearts and Tim Firth’s Neville’s Island at The Ensemble theatre.

Rebecca Russell is a Managing Director and Partner at Boston Consulting Group, where she leads the Climate and Sustainability Practice for Australia and New Zealand. Rebecca works with corporate and government clients across many sectors on net zero and nature positive outcomes, and the energy and green economy transition. She works across the food supply chain on sustainable agriculture practices, food waste, decarbonising transportation and logistics, financing and technology. Rebecca and the team at BCG work with businesses, foundations, and governments to support the world’s food supply through sustainable agriculture, resilient supply chains, and the availability of healthy food.

Natalie Sarich-Dayton is the CEO and Managing Director of Brownes Dairy, becoming the first woman to be appointed to this role in the 137-year history of the company.

Natalie is leading the growth of Brownes’ Perth based business into international markets such as China, SE Asia markets and the UK.

In 2019 and 2020 Natalie’s marketing leadership at Brownes Dairy was recognised with placings in the CM050 list of Australia’s most innovative and effective Chief Marketing Officers. She has led Brownes Dairy to be one of Australia’s most innovative and awarded food business, winning numerous marketing, packaging, innovation, and food awards. She was behind the revival of the popular ‘Milko’ home delivery service during the COVID-19 lockdowns and the launch of Hunt and Brew, one of Australia’s fastest growing coffee drinks.

Natalie has more than 20 years of international experience in marketing, sales and management in multinational consumer goods companies. She has worked for some of the world’s consumer goods powerhouses including Coca-Cola, Heinz, and Unilever in Australia and Europe.

One of the first GenAI experts, Nina analyses how this nascent field of artificial intelligence will change humanity.

Nina is the Founder of Tamang Ventures, an advisory firm focused on Generative AI, as well as the Creator of ‘The Era of Generative AI’ – a Substack project telling the story of GenAI through exclusive content and interviews.

Nina advises several AI and technology companies, including Truepic — the first to build media authentication technology, and Synthesia, the world’s first AI-to-video generation platform.

Before specialising inGenerative AI, Nina worked on geopolitical crises, including Brexit, the Russia-Ukraine war and state-sponsored disinformation. She has advised leaders including Joe Biden, the President of the United States and Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the former Secretary General of NATO.

Nick Stamatiou is an Australian entrepreneur and the visionary founder of Whole., a revolutionary foodtech company based in Australia. With a background in engineering, Nick combines technological innovation with sustainable practices to reshape the food industry. Before starting Whole. Nick built and ran the IP Strategy and Commercialisation team for Deloitte across the Asia Pacific region and has been recognised for seven consecutive years now as one of the top 300 IP strategists in the world.

Katherine is a Partner at Systemiq – a system-change advisory and investment firm. As head of the Sustainable Finance platform, Katherine leads Systemiq’s work on financing country transitions.

She has helped design and launch numerous catalytic investment vehicles and platforms including the SDG Namibia One Fund for green hydrogen; the Global Fund for Coral Reefs – the world’s first largescale adaptation fund; the ReOcean private equity fund; Indonesia’s $3bn sustainable infrastructure platform and the $8bn Just Energy Transition Partnership for South Africa.

Katherine is on the Advisory Board of the “Responsible Consumer Fund” which invests in listed equities that drive a more sustainable production and consumption model and is a Fellow to Studio 8 FOLD which specialises in sustainable architecture and design.

Katherine developed the Actis Transition Tool for deal teams investing in net zero aligned assets and helped build the Practitioner’s Guide to Transition Finance. She is the lead author of reports including Making Climate Capital Work, Better Finance, Better Food and Mobilising Capital for Water.

As Chair of the Blended Finance Taskforce, Katherine leads a global coalition which works to mobilise capital for the transition to a net zero, nature-positive and more inclusive economy by building capacity in emerging markets to develop investable projects, design and scale catalytic financial instruments, structure blended finance solutions and advocate for a more efficient and equitable deployment of climate finance.

Katherine is on the Expert Advisory Group for the Coalition of Finance Ministers for Climate Action and is a Steering Committee Member for the G7’s Impact Taskforce. She was awarded Environmental Finance’s “Net Zero Champion of the Year” in 2022 and throughout her career has been committed to supporting a more diverse set of voices into the climate finance agenda.

Katherine started her career as a solicitor at Corrs Chambers Westgarth in the energy and construction practices before moving to the UK where she acted for lenders on major renewables and waste-to-energy project finance transactions. She graduated from the University of Queensland with First Class Honours in Law/Commerce.

Suresh Sundararajan is currently the Cofounder & CEO at Nupo Ventures, which serves as the incubation and venture building arm of Olam Group, headquartered in Singapore. Additionally, he is the Co-Founder of Jiva, an end-to-end Farmer Services Platform, and Terrascope, an AI/ML driven climate technology SAS platform.

Furthermore, Suresh also assumes the role of Cofounder and Director at Mindsprint, the digital technology services arm of the group, which specializes in delivering end-to-end solutions to corporate entities, facilitating their digital transformation initiatives.

Suresh’s tenure with Olam Group began in 1996. Before assuming his current leadership positions, he held the roles of Chief Digital and Information Officer (CDIO) and Chief Risk Officer (CRO) for the Group. In 2017, he initiated a transformative journey of digitalization at Olam, leading the development and implementation of an extensive suite of solutions that encompass the entire agricultural supply chain, spanning from Farm to Fork.

Suresh is deeply passionate about Digitization, Innovation, and Sustainability. He was honoured with the title of CIO of the Year by IDC Future Enterprise Singapore in 2022. He was featured in the 30 Voices 2030 KPMG report in 2022 as one of the thought leaders discussing paradigm shifts in the financial services industry, positioning it as a trailblazer for innovation and growth. He is also featured in Fintech65 2023 edition for incubating Green Corporate Ventures and contributing to the fintech ecosystem of Singapore.

Over the past 28 years in Olam, Suresh has undertaken diverse leadership roles across various corporate functions, encompassing Corporate Affairs, M&A, Investor Relations, Taxation, Legal, Risk & Market Compliance, Global Business Services, and Information Technology.

Suresh’s academic background comprises a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Madras, India, as well as a degree in Cost Accountancy acquired in 1990 from The Institute of Cost and Works Accountants of India. Additionally, he is a qualified Company Secretary, having earned certification from The Institute of Company Secretaries of India.

Heechung Sung is the Head of Natural Capital at the Clean Energy Finance Corporation.  Heech is leading the organisation’s investment strategy across agriculture, forestry and broader nature-based solutions to accelerate and contribute to the decarbonisation

pathway for Australia. Heech has more than 25 years’ experience in financial and professional services covering sectors including infrastructure, transport, real-estate and agriculture. Heech has previously worked at Macquarie Group, HMC Capital, Boeing Australia and Qantas Airways. Heech holds a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) from University of Sydney and a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) from University of Technology Sydney.

Rebecca Tomkinson is the Chief Executive Officer of The Chamber of Minerals and Energy of Western Australia (CME), the peak resources sector representative body in Western Australia.

Immediately prior to joining the CME Rebecca was the Chief Executive Officer of the Royal Flying Doctor Service in WA. In her early career Rebecca worked in local, state and federal government before transitioning to executive roles in the corporate and community benefit sectors.

Raised in regional WA, Rebecca is deeply committed to the social and economic development of the state and the promotion of its unique and critical role nationally and globally. Rebecca is a current board member of Infrastructure WA, Crown Perth and the Perth USAsia Centre.

Ponsi Trivisvavet is CEO & Director of Inari, the SEEDesign™ company using predictive design and advanced multiplex gene editing to unlock the full potential of seed. Her broad management expertise in global agriculture helps Ponsi to lead Inari closer to achieving its mission of helping to build a more sustainable global food system in the face of climate change. Prior to joining Inari, she held several leadership roles including president of North America Seeds with Syngenta after earning her MBA from Cornell University and working with McKinsey & Company.

Nitin Vaish is passionate about Agriculture, Sustainability, and Climate. He has spent more than two decades in building and leading climate focused businesses in Fortune 100 companies and start-ups. He was part of the founding team to build a new materials-focused business at GE, built a lithium-ion battery business at Celanese, and led solar and storage products at SunPower / Total. He subsequently led a Next Gen Sequencing company (YES) and led commercial efforts at a growth stage company in the post-harvest sector (Mori). In his current role at Ginkgo Bioworks, Nitin is focused on leveraging synthetic biology solutions to solve customer needs in the Agriculture and Climate focused sectors.

Nitin is an avid runner and hiker, and lives in the San Francisco Bay area. He is a graduate of IIT Bombay, Northwestern University, and MIT Sloan School of Management.

With over a decade of experience working within some of the largest FMCG & multinational companies, Matt has extensive expertise in leading sales, marketing & innovation teams across both domestic & international markets while fostering a high performing culture. Matt has a strong focus on leadership, people development & growth, strategy, inclusion & sustainability.

As a highly passionate executive leader who is customer & consumer obsessed, Matt drives strong commercial outcomes through developing an intimate understanding of the market challenges & opportunities; executing winning strategies leading to acceleration of category growth.

Matt has been recognised in the “CMO50” list, has led organisations to win numerous “Product of the Year Awards” & also gained recognition in “AFR BOSS Most Innovative Companies”. Matt is currently the Head of Sales & Marketing at Tassal Group which is Australia’s largest Aquaculture company comprised of Tasmanian Atlantic Salmon, Queensland Tiger Prawns & West Australian ocean grown Barramundi.

Tassal Group is the # 1 sustainable protein producer in Australia, it is also the #1 pre-packaged protein supplier in Australian Grocery & the Tassal brand is the most powerful protein brand with Australian consumers.

Stefan leads the research teams of Rabobank in Australia and New Zealand. He and his team deliver market and strategic industry insights for key food and agri sectors to support Rabobank’s rural and wholesale clients locally and globally.

Stefan has a wealth of market research and corporate strategy experience. Before relocating to Sydney in early 2022, he was based in London and held dual roles as Global Sector Strategist Grains & Oilseeds as well as Head of Agri Commodities Markets Research.

Prior to joining Rabobank Stefan has worked in different agricultural market research and strategy leadership positions in the grain industry in Germany and the US. Stefan also was Vice President of the European Grain Trading association and a member of the EU Commission’s Expert Group on Agricultural Commodity Derivatives and Spot Markets.

Stefan holds a Diploma (equivalent to Master´s Degree) in Agricultural Economics from the University of Giessen in Germany.

Justin is an accomplished entrepreneur, Founder, and Managing Director of AgriWebb, an AgTech SaaS company that manages over 20 million livestock across 150 million acres with $50 billion in agricultural assets. Prior to AgriWebb, Justin founded, scaled and sold three companies, including AI-based asset management hedge funds. He also held senior positions at Macquarie, BlackRock and advises International Acquisition Partners & Tonnerre Investments. Justin’s sporting background includes rowing internationally for Harvard, Oxford, and Australia. Academically, Justin holds an Honors BA in Economics and Applied Mathematics from Harvard and an MBA with distinction from Oxford, where he was the OBA Scholar.

Charlotte is an experienced sustainability and business professional, deeply committed to work that delivers positive and lasting impact on people’s lives, communities and the environment.

With extensive experience working with private sector, government and non-profit organisations, her experience includes sustainability reporting, public-private partnerships, corporate governance, population health and businesses transformation, to support a sustainable future.

As a Director in EY Global Sustainability, Charlotte has led EY’s work with the Sustainable Markets Initiative since January 2022, as Chief Governance and Reporting Officer, working with a network of 200+ global CEOs and 20 Task Forces, including Agribusiness and Global Farm Metric.

Charlotte is passionate about sustainable food and farming systems at a global and local level. She is a member of the Development Committee for the Royal Countryside Fund, a UK based charity which offers family farms access to immediate, local and practical support, and supports rural communities through powering community-led solutions.

Sally-Ann Williams, CEO of Cicada Innovations, Australia’s home of Deep Tech supporting deep tech ventures tackling the world’s most pressing problems like the future of human health and the climate crisis. She leads national commercialisation programs to drive a fundamental shift in Australia’s economic base by increasing the number of R&D-driven businesses.

Currently, she is leading the Pathway to Diversity in STEM Review for the Federal Government. She is an experienced  Non Executive Board member and holds key board and advisory roles in various organizations.

Prior to Cicada, Sally-Ann was an Executive Program Manager at Google for 12 years where she led Google’s efforts in entrepreneurship and startup engagement, research collaborations with universities, and CS and STEM education & outreach.

An Australian entrepreneur and founder of Goterra, a company that focus’ on sustainable food production, Olympia is a leading voice in agricultural sustainability and climate technology innovation.

With bold vision, Olympia has made a significant impact in the sustainable food industry. Goterra, uses cutting-edge technology to turn food waste into protein-rich animal feed and fertilizer.

Olympia has worked as a consultant for both government and non-profit organizations, in the development of regulation for emerging industries giving her insight into the policy-making process and the regulatory landscape. She understands the complexities of navigating regulations and policies while also driving innovation and progress.

Olympia’s entrepreneurial spirit and dedication to sustainability have earned her numerous awards and recognition, including being named Australian of the Year for the Australian Capital Territory and having a species of fly named for her by the CSIRO.

Nicole is currently leading the development of the Australian Sustainable Finance Taxonomy working closely with government and regulators, to develop common definitions for sustainable economic activities and investments. Nicole also leads a body of work with major finance sector entities to integrate nature considerations into financial capital allocation decisions for the agricultural sector. Nicole has a background in climate and sustainability across government, banking, private equity and law. In the public service, she led the review of major climate policies including of the Emissions Reduction Fund and the Australian Government’s engagement with the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD), representing Australia on the TNFD Stewardship Council. Nicole holds a Master of Laws in international trade and post-graduate qualifications in finance and economics.

Antony Yousefian passionately believes in harnessing technology for meaningful impact. As VP of Climate & Circularity at Wiliot, he leads the strategy and application of Ambient IoT to accelerate the circular and regenerative economy. Beginning in asset management, he shifted his emphasis to ESG and impact investment. Captivated by the transformative power of data in environmental insight, he ventured into tech, scaling 30MHz’s agricultural IoT solutions and founding Bx to assess farming’s ecological impact. Antony remains deeply embedded in the startup arena, as an impact VC investor at TFT.VC and chairs the Advisory Board at Agrimetrics, UK’s leading Agtech centre.