7-9 June 2021 | Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre

Speakers

  • Janine Allis

    Founder, Boost Juice Bars

  • Jon Dee

    Anchor Host of 'Smart Money', Sky News Business Channel

  • Charlie Arnot

    Founder & President of Look East

  • Mick Colliss

    Writer, Author, Speaker

  • Michael Williams

    J-Tech Systems General Manager

  • Jan Doldersum

    Manager Chain & Retail for Rijk Zwaan

  • Jane O’Leary

    DCA Research Director

  • Ben Kelly

    Precision Ag Manager at John Deere

  • Max Teplitski

    Chief Science Officer at Produce Marketing Association

  • Simon Drum

    Managing Director of PSVC Advisory

  • Paul Levins

    Co-founder of Xinova

Janine Allis

Founder, Boost Juice Bars

Janine is not your everyday self-made businesswoman. She grew her juice and smoothie empire in 2000 from her kitchen bench, to an international success story. Boost Juice Bars are now in 15 countries with three new brands of Salsas Fresh Mex Grill, Betty’s Burgers and Cibo espresso totalling over 600 stores.

Janine then went on to share her knowledge with others through her role as a “Shark” and mentor on Channel Ten’s Shark Tank.

Her most recent adventure has been as a Champion contestant on Channel Ten’s Australian Survivor 2019.

Janine’s business approach has made her a leader in her field, with BRW listing Janine as one of the top 15 people who have changed the way business is done in the last 25 years.

Apart from her Directorship with Retail Zoo, Janine is a Director on the publicly-listed Michael Hill Jewellers, and was the first female director on the board of the Hawthorn Football Club. She is the Best-selling author of The Accidental Entrepreneur, which is the story of Janine’s journey with Boost Juice and also the co-host of the Podcast Superwomen We Ain’t.

Janine’s philosophy is simple – if she can do it, anyone can. “I still love getting up every morning and being a part of this great adventure. I’ll keep doing it as long as I love it and who knows where we could end up next!”

Sessions

Plenary 1

Jon Dee

Anchor Host of 'Smart Money', Sky News Business Channel

Jon Dee is an award-winning social entrepreneur, broadcaster and campaigner.

He is a leading expert on business innovation, sustainability and efficiency. His business guidebooks ‘Sustainable Growth’ and ‘EnergyCut’ have shifted over 130,000 copies.

On Sky News Business channel, Jon researched, wrote and presented 115 episodes of ‘Smart Money’ – a live weekly TV program where he showed businesses how to become more innovative, efficient and sustainable.

Using real world case studies, he presented over 700 stories that showed how innovation, efficiency and sustainability can boost the business bottom line. He also initiated regular coverage about the plant-based future of food and the business potential of a more Circular Economy.

Since 1986, Jon has run campaigns that have created major change. He is currently the Australian Coordinator of the international RE100 initiative. In that role, he has been successful in getting 10 of Australia’s biggest companies to commit to using 100% renewable electricity in their operations (this includes Australia’s top 5 banks). More major companies are set to follow.
As a philanthropist, Jon Dee co-founded Planet Ark with Pat Cash in 1991 and ran the organisation for its first 15 years. Jon also started the DoSomething Foundation and Rock Aid Armenia charities.

Jon is the Global Director of One Tree Per Child which he founded with Olivia Newton-John. Jon and Olivia also founded Australia’s highly successful National Tree Day and fronted the event for the planting of its first 10 million trees.

Jon has also just launched his DoSomethingNearYou.com.au website that shows Australians what they can do to give back and volunteer in over 15,000 towns, cities and suburbs around Australia. In 2008, Jon also launched his FoodWise.com.au food waste website which put the issue of food waste on the Australian media map.

Every week, Jon is on 53 ABC Radio stations with the ‘Good News With Jon Dee’ segment where he talks about the latest positive sustainability news. Jon has also produced and directed hundreds of sustainability-themed TV ads which featured stars such as Tom Cruise, Kylie Minogue, Dustin Hoffman, Nicole Kidman, Richard Branson, Jeff Goldblum, Olivia Newton-John, Pierce Brosnan, Kevin McCloud and many others.

Jon also had a top 40 UK hit with his all-star Rock Aid Armenia charity remake of ‘Smoke on the Water’. The associated album was the first UK charity album to go ‘Gold’. The bands recruited by Jon to join Rock Aid Armenia included Queen, Pink Floyd, Bon Jovi, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Yes, Rush and Deep Purple, to name but a few.

As part of this project, Jon and his friend Ara Tadevosyan built a music school in the Armenian earthquake zone. Opened in 2015, the school currently teaches 220 children a year.

Jon was Australian of the Year 2010 (NSW). In 2009 the President of Armenia gave Jon Armenia’s highest award – ‘The Order of Honor’ – for his long term work helping people in the Armenian earthquake zone. In 2016, his ‘Smart Money’ TV show was awarded the International Media Prize by Green Accord in Italy.

Sessions

Plenary 2

Charlie Arnot

Founder & President of Look East

Charlie Arnot is recognized as a thought leader in food and agriculture. He is highly regarded as both a writer and sought-after speaker who engages audiences across the globe. Charlie has more than 25 years of experience working in communications, public relations and issues management within the food system. He is the founder and president of Look East, an employee-owned consulting firm. He also serves as CEO of the Center for Food Integrity, a international non-profit organization dedicated to building consumer trust and confidence in today’s food system.

One client said of Charlie’s work, “others help us talk about our business, you help us think differently about who we are and what we do.” His commitment to excellence, innovation and integrity have positioned him as a trusted counselor to CEOs, government leaders and executives, and a respected industry advisor on critical issues within the food system. Clients and food and farm industry leaders seek his unique expertise in applying the peer reviewed trust model to help them build trust in their processes, products, people and brands.

Charlie is frequently sought out by media for his insight on food and agriculture issues and has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Fortune, Time, NPR, CNBC, The National Journal, Entrepreneur, Yahoo health, Huffington Post, Grist and dozens of trade publications globally.

Charlie is the author of, “Size Matters, Why We Love to Hate Big Food,” which was named the top ag book of 2018 by noted DC journalist Jerry Hagstrom who said, “Charlie Arnot is the only consumer analyst who can explain to agribusiness executives why consumers distrust them – and not make the executives angry.”

Charlie spent ten years as a corporate officer for a leading food company; he worked for a public relations agency, was an award-winning radio journalist and worked in video and film. Charlie grew up in southeast Nebraska and graduated from the University of Nebraska with a Bachelor of Journalism degree.

 

Sessions

Plenary 3

Mick Colliss

Writer, Author, Speaker

Mick Colliss is a gifted story teller with a very funny story to tell. He is the only Australian invited to speak at the prestigious MDRT (Million Dollar Round Table) event in Vancouver in 2016.

As a young kid, he always dreamed about playing for Australia. In anything. He tried a number of different sports – rugby league, rugby union, swimming, cricket, surf lifesaving – even lawn bowls, all without luck. But despite the disappointments and failures, he never, ever gave up.

Then, at the age of 42, all the hard work, dedication and perseverance paid off when he finally achieved his lifelong goal of wearing the green and gold – just not in the way you might think.

 

Sessions

Perfection Fresh Breakfast

Michael Williams

J-Tech Systems General Manager

Michael Williams is the J-Tech Systems General Manager and a well-known identity in the Australian fresh produce industry. Michael has a comprehensive, well-rounded knowledge and understanding of all aspects of the industry from his early background in the set-up and management of retail supermarkets, through to his current position at J-Tech.
Michael joined J-Tech in 2010 in packaging sales, before becoming Sales Manager for Automation, Machinery and Packaging in 2014, then taking the role of General Manager in 2017.
His knowledge, enthusiasm and breadth of experience gives him a unique and valuable insight into a sustainable future across the entire fresh produce industry.

Sessions

Over the Horizon Stream

Jan Doldersum

Manager Chain & Retail for Rijk Zwaan

Since April 2017 Jan Doldersum is Manager Chain & Retail for Rijk Zwaan. His main fields of attention are Retail partnership, Business Development, Marketing & Brand Management and Product development & Innovation. He has been working for Rijk Zwaan for more than 20 years in several positions and countries. From 2009-2013 he lived in China and was responsible for business development in the fresh produce chain in Asia.

Sessions

Growing and Farming Stream

Jane O’Leary

DCA Research Director

Jane O’Leary provides a range of research, advisory and consulting services to assist Australian employers drive business improvement through successful diversity management.

In 2008 she took on the role of Research Director to oversee DCA’s mission to work in partnership with members to generate ground breaking diversity research that enables Australian organisations to fully leverage the benefits of a diverse talent pool. Since then, Jane has established DCA’s research function and worked with Australia’s leading diversity employers to design and deliver diversity research which is ahead of the curve, speaks to the Australian context, drives business improvement and, importantly, leads public debate.

Jane has a PhD, undertaken through the University of Queensland Business School. Her thesis investigated how Australian managers can most effectively manage workforce diversity. Jane also has a Masters of Education degree, which focussed on the area of women in leadership.

Prior to joining DCA, Jane worked in the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency (EOWA) assisting employers on issues relating to diversity and inclusion. She held the senior policy position in EOWA, with responsibility for developing the policy framework for interpreting and administering the amended Affirmative Action (Equal Employment Opportunity for Women) Act 1986 and overseeing the development of accompanying educational guidelines for employers. On the basis of her work in this role she was awarded a Medal for Significant Contribution to the Australian Public Service in 2001.

 

Sessions

Diversity & Inclusion

Ben Kelly

Precision Ag Manager at John Deere

Ben grew up on a cropping and livestock property near Gulargambone in Central New South Wales and went on to complete a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Newcastle. In 2014 his passion for precision agriculture led him to complete a Graduate Certificate in Precision Agriculture from the University of New England.
Ben joined John Deere in 2005 and has spent the last 14 years supporting John Deere customers through various field-based roles. In Ben’s current role, he is responsible for monitoring and identifying trends in Australia and New Zealand’s precision agriculture for future product development opportunities.

Sessions

Growing and Farming Stream

Max Teplitski

Chief Science Officer at Produce Marketing Association

Dr. Max Teplitski is a Chief Science Officer at Produce Marketing Association, where he oversees portfolios and federal engagement on produce safety, ag technology, traceability and sustainability.  Prior to joining PMA, Dr. Teplitski served as an Acting Director of the divisions of Food Safety and Nutrition and a National Program Leader in Microbiology at the National Institute of Food and Agriculture of the US Department of Agriculture, where he managed federal investment into research in food safety, antimicrobial resistance, small business innovation, and nutrition capacity projects.  Earlier in his career, he was a Professor at the University of Florida, and during his career there he led a research and education program focused on molecular interactions between plants and human pathogens.  Dr. Teplitski is an author of over 100 research publications and book chapters.  He was recognized as a G.E. Burch Fellow in Theoretical Medicine at the Smithsonian Institution, Fulbright Specialist in Agriculture, US Embassy Science Fellow, Biotech Outreach Speaker with the US Department of State. He is a recipient of the J.E. Feeley Award in Recognition of Significant Contributions in the Area of Environmental Microbiology.

Sessions

Food Safety Session

Simon Drum

Managing Director of PSVC Advisory

Simon Drum is the Managing Director of PSVC Advisory – an innovative fresh food value chain consultancy focused on building the capability of fresh produce business to improve their quality, efficiency and effectiveness.

Based in Melbourne, Simon has spent over 22 years building his expertise and knowledge of the Australian agribusiness sector in a number of senior strategic, commercial and operational roles with major Australian agribusiness and fresh produce organisations.

Simon has extensive experience in designing, recruiting, inducting, training and performance managing large seasonal workforces in field and packing facility environments in a broad range of horticultural categories.  Extensive experience in working with wide range of labour pools including local, working holiday market and seasonal worker program workforces.  Simon had direct operational workforce responsibility of a workforce up to 400 people for 5 years.

For more information: simon@psvcadvisory.com.au or 0407 567 250

 

Speaker Agreement Form

Meeting Market Demand for Quality and Value Through High Performing Seasonal Workforces – Increase Productivity and Transform Your Business

With global giants ALDI and Amazon driving unprecedented disruption across the retail sector, the Australian fresh food and grocery marketplace is destined to become increasingly concentrated.

With fresh food one of the primary battle grounds for the prevailing retailers, the demand on fresh produce businesses to deliver significant improvements on quality and value will continue to rise.

In order to remain competitive and profitable, fresh produce businesses must have skilled, stable and productive seasonal workforces that enable their small management teams to focus on customers, efficiencies, compliance and strategic growth.

Businesses with the profits and management capability to invest in innovations that drive customer satisfaction, efficiency and sales growth will be the leaders of tomorrow’s fresh produce industry.

Sessions

Labour Session

Paul Levins

Co-founder of Xinova

Paul Levins co-founded Xinova, a 12,000 member global innovation network based in Seattle with diverse customers including PepsiCo, Honda, Hyundai, Meat and Livestock Australia and Hort Innovation. Since returning to Australia, Paul has worked on the impact of open innovation in the food & agriculture industry. He believes it’s critical to look outside of industry verticals to find and apply new solutions as well as working with existing R&D efforts. Paul’s diverse career also includes: EVP of ICANN, the global coordinator of the Internet’s security and stability; the Head APAC for the Invention Development Fund; an executive at Bilfinger Berger Australia and Telstra and Chief of Staff in a range of portfolios including natural resources, higher education, water and infrastructure and planning. He is a Global Ambassador for Business Events Sydney and a past board member of ANZAC medical research institute and Australia’s domain name authority, auDA.

Sessions

Tuesday Trade Show

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