The next wave of female leaders in agriculture have met in the nation’s capital to kickstart their journey with the Diversity in Agriculture Leadership Program.
The National Farmers’ Federation welcomed the 2024 cohort to Canberra for the initiative’s three-day introductory retreat.
The program, now in its seventh year, is designed to create a clear pathway for women to pursue leadership opportunities within the sector.
Acting Chief Executive Officer Charlie Thomas said across the three days, the 12 women met with parliamentarians and industry leaders, took part in practical personal and professional development sessions, and met their mentors.
“The Diversity in Agriculture Leadership Program is the NFF’s flagship leadership initiative focused on the goal to double the number of women in agriculture’s leadership ranks,” Mr Thomas said.
“I’m always blown away by the calibre of women the program attracts and this year’s cohort has again set the bar high.
“I look forward to following their journey through the program and beyond as they each play a part in driving agriculture forward.”
An important part of the retreat was starting the mentoring program. The 12 mentees were matched with their mentor with whom they will complete a five-month intensive mentoring program.
Angela Hammond from Inverell in NSW has been matched with Diana Fear, CEO at Central West Farming Systems and Diversity alumna.
Following their first mentoring session on day two of the retreat, the pair agreed they would grow and learn from each other equally through the experience.
“I’ve ended up in accidental leadership roles and I want to gain support on how to be a better leader so my impact in agriculture can be even more positive,” Ms Hammond said on why she applied to the program.
“Through my role at Landcare Australia, I work for primary producers and I want to learn more about taking their messages through so we can have action on the ground.
“Diana and I have connected and we’ve been talking about projects we can look at from our different perspectives. There’s some really good opportunities to drive some really interesting work to drive women’s position in ag but also our message to consumers.”
Images available here.
2024 Diversity in Agriculture Leadership cohort
Amanda McClaren – Graytown, VIC
Angela Hammond – Inverell, NSW
Becky Dickinson- Warragul, VIC
Jennifer Brown – Mascot, NSW
Jenny Crema – South Mission Beach, QLD
Kelly Nankivell – Tintinara, SA
Lauren Langfield – Aberfoyle Park, SA
Madie Hamilton – Randwick, NSW
Meredith King – Milsons Point, NSW
Ming Fung Chua – Bayswater, WA
Sarah Stevens – Mareeba, QLD
Wendy Hick – Camooweal, QLD
To access photos, click here.
Partners
About the program
In its seventh year, the Diversity in Agriculture Leadership Program is an annual mentoring and networking opportunity for 12 women in agriculture.
The Program is supported by 35 agricultural-focussed organisations who have joined the NFF in committing to making meaningful change towards gender diversity in agriculture.
The program in the main initiative supporting the NFF’s goal to double the number of women in agriculture’s leadership ranks by 2030 as part of the NFF’s 2030 Roadmap.
Participants will work with their industry leading mentor to develop and work towards their leadership goals over the next 5 months.
The group will graduate in October.
Stacey Davidson