My evoke^AG. experience - Leesa Chen, 2020 Future Young Leader

Melbourne local and Future Young Leader Leesa Chen gave the evoke^AG. team a wrap-up of her experience of our event. Leesa has a strong passion to see Australian food and fibre develop a robust branding strategy with the aim to develop a story that celebrates Australian produce and the contribution of the proud Australian farming families when competing in the international markets. We can’t wait to see Leesa’s career and mission unfold in the agricultural industry.

“evoke^AG. 2020 certainly felt like a rockstar concert. It was electrifying, buzzing with ideas and I left feeling optimistic about the endless possibilities for the global food and agriculture industry.

Australia’s trade relations with neighbouring nations in the Asia Pacific has always been at the core of my pursuits but the array of international speakers really pushed my understanding of what ‘globality’ truly means; from as close as New Zealand to as far as Silicon Valley. I hadn’t previously thought about what the startups are doing in North America and how the Fortune 500 companies are accelerating corporate innovation at Silicon Valley speed, so John Hartnett of SVG Ventures really planted a seed for exploration. Silicon Valley is certainty at the top of my list for my next global learning pursuit.

Reflecting on the current environment, COVID-19 has emphasised on the strengths and the breadth of global flows. In pursuit of the evoke^AG. theme for collaboration and connectedness, my friends at the China Australia Food Circle recently hosted a webinar with food industry colleagues in Denmark. The overlapping similarities that organisations across different countries are all impacted by the shocks to the global supply chain further highlighted the impact of global flows. Reflecting as an individual who is fascinated about all things global, for the first time I am left thinking about food mileages and the balance for both a self-reliant local food system in addition to international trade, but not one without the other.

It is true that change is the only constant. The uncertainty of the changing world we live in and changing global markets present opportunities for innovation and organisational agility that otherwise would not have existed. We should be excited about the future of food and farming.”

The 2020 evoke^AG. Future Young Leaders Program was powered by the Council of Rural Research and Development Corporations.

Enjoyed this story? Want to learn more about the Asia Pacific region’s innovative agrifood tech ecosystem? Sign up for our newsletter here and receive fresh stories about global leaders, farmers, startups and innovators driving collaborative change.