2021 Speakers

Dr Andrew Macnish is a postharvest horticulture and supply chain management specialist with the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries. He has 25 years of applied research, development and training experience in enhancing fresh produce quality through adoption of improved handling practice and technology. His primary interests and expertise are in supply chain monitoring, quantifying the handling and storage response of fruit and vegetables, and developing practical strategies for consistently delivering high quality fresh produce to consumers. Andrew currently leads the DAF Supply Chain Innovation team and the AM15002 Serviced Supply Chains project that is increasing the reputation and profitability of Australian horticulture exports.

Ashleigh is one of the founding members of Atomic 212°’s media team and has been one of the core drivers of the agency’s success, delivering remarkable results for her clients. Ashleigh specialises in bringing the performance media principles of a digital agency into brand executions, and ensuring effectiveness is delivered across a number of media touch points.

Dr Astrid Poelman is Team Leader Sensory and Consumer Science at CSIRO Agriculture and Food, Sydney with 22 years of translational research experience. She holds a MSc and PhD from Wageningen University (the Netherlands) and has worked for the applied research institute Food and Biobased Research (part of the Wageningen University and Research Centre). Her research uses both a product and behavioural approach to understand and change sensory preferences for healthy foods, with specific expertise in increasing children’s acceptance and intake of vegetables. Over the past years she has worked on seven R&D projects for the Australian vegetable industry including the VegKIT project and Taste & Learn™, an evidence-based school education program to increase children’s vegetable enjoyment.

General Manager of Coastal Hydroponics, family owned and operated salad and herb producer based on the Gold Coast. Supplying Coles with packaged salad and herbs throughout Queensland. Current Chairperson of Growcom and Deputy Chair of Ausveg. Part of the Consumer Alignment Team for Hort Innovation and involved in the first pilot studies of Vegkit including in school trialling. Passionate grower, processor and marketer of all vegetables to children, after spending 10 years as a Primary School Teacher education is key, transforming and adapting children to become lifelong vegetable consumers for the benefits to their health, society and all vegetable growers.

Ben has worked with Steritech, Australia’s phytosanitary irradiation provider for the past five years. During this time Australian exports have gained numerous new irradiation protocols leading to trade growth. Ben’s previous experience in produce marketing provides him with a balanced understanding of commercial and regulatory needs. Join Ben to take a big picture look at developing effective, strategic market access for the future of Australia’s industry.

Brei Montgomery is the Head of International Trade at Hort Innovation. She focuses on building the profile and positive reputation for Australian horticultural industries to advance global markets, including incorporating strategic agility into planning in an increasingly virtual world.

Brei has an extensive background in developing local markets to promote internationally and influencing global companies and stakeholders to invest in Australian agriculture. She has travelled extensively throughout Australia and Asia to build long term connections across industry and government.

Brei is passionate about helping primary producers achieve sustainable growth and build food supply chains through diversification, innovation and new markets.

Dr Cherie Gambley, project leader for VG16086 ‘Area wide management of vegetable diseases: viruses and bacteria’.

Cherie has over 25 years of experience in plant pathology and is a nationally and internationally recognised researcher in this discipline. She has worked across a range of horticulture commodities affected by insect-spread viruses and bacteria, with the focus over the last 10+ years in vegetables.

Claire is a Dietitian with over 15 years’ experience in public health nutrition and more broadly health and wellbeing. She has worked for a diverse range of industries across government, education, planning, agriculture and not-for-profit on state and national initiatives aimed at translating research and evidence-based strategies into lifestyle and behaviour change. Claire has a strong interest in community and population level strategies to address inequalities in health and shift population health risk factors. She is co-author of the CSIRO Wellbeing Plan for Kids book.

Currently Claire is Research Manager at Flinders University Caring Futures Institute. She has been actively involved in the VegKIT project for the last 3 years and works across a range of research projects to advance child and family nutrition. The program’s mission is to inform evidence-based, engaging and scalable solutions for care givers, to improve the foods provided to children in a range of settings.

Cori is a brand and positioning strategy expert with a strong understanding of consumer trends and challenges. In his current role as Director of Fiftyfive5, one of Australia’s leading brand and research consultancies, he help brands and organisations unlock growth through customer-led strategy. Cori has worked on a range of categories with Hort Innovation, including mushrooms, summerfruit, blackberries, raspberries, pears, and onions.

VegKIT: Can kids learning to love veggies drive future demand?

Dr David Cox is a Principal Research Scientist at CSIRO Nutrition and Health. Since obtaining a PhD in the Faculty of Medicine (Human Nutrition) at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, University of London, he has focused upon food choice and acceptance (Behavioural Nutrition) both in terms of product choice and dietary choice. He is the author of 77 highly cited publications and has an H-index of 28 (as measure of impact).  Over the past 12 years he has worked on eight R&D projects for the vegetable industry and currently leads VG16064 Tools and Intervention to increase children’s vegetable intake (VegKIT)

Ian is a Senior Entomologist based in Mareeba, North Queensland. He has a PhD in entomology and over 20 years experience as an applied entomologist. He has worked for Universities, CSIRO, the QLD State Government and the private sector on a wide range of horticultural and field crops and pests. Dr Newton has extensive knowledge and experience in IPM research; most recently, he has worked on the Fall Armyworm response and has found a number of Australian endemic parasitoids and pathogens.

Dr Siva Subramaniam has a PhD in Entomology and over 30 years’ experience in applied field entomology, and pest management in horticultural crops. He was closely involved in the detection, monitoring and management of FAW in North Qld. Subra is currently working with DAF’s FAW response team on developing management strategies for vegetable crops, and leading the FAW project (MT19015) funded by Hort Innovation.

Evan joins TBWA Sydney from Clemenger BBDO Melbourne, where he was Executive Creative Director. In 2017, Evan jointly led the team that took home both Cannes Lions Global Agency of the year and D&AD Global Agency of the year.
In that year alone he was awarded 56 Lions including two Grand Prix for campaigns including TAC ‘Meet Graham’, Snickers ‘Hungerithm’ and Airbnb ‘Until We All Belong’. The ‘Meet Graham’ road safety campaign for Transport Accident Commission (TAC) was the most awarded creative campaign in the world that year, and also picked up the D&AD Black Pencil. Under Evan’s co-creative leadership, the agency also developed ‘Deadly Questions’ the controversial campaign that opened up a conversation between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Victorians, Myer’s ‘Naughty or Nice Bauble’ and the highly successful ‘The Beer from Up Here’ campaign for Great Northern Brewing Co. In 2019 the campaign was awarded the Australian Effectiveness Grand Effie and a Gold Effie for long term effects. Prior to Clemenger BBDO Melbourne, Evan enjoyed a six year tenure at GPY&R Melbourne which saw him rise to the role of Creative Director off the back of internationally awarded work for the Australian Defence Force.

With a BSc in Animal Science from the UK Gemma spent 15 years living internationally and across Australia working in a variety of Agriculturally focused Non- government and Government Organisations covering many parts of the supply chain in a variety of sectors. Completing a MSc in Agribusiness for Development before settling in Brisbane Gemma brought her broad agribusiness knowledge, strong research, and people engagement skills to join Rimfire in 2014. Taking on the GradLink and Graduate Engagement Program portfolios in 2019 Gemma continues to connect Agribusiness organisations with graduating students possessing the key traits, personal characteristics, and skills needed to succeed in Agribusiness. Her passion is finding the right person for the right role and helping graduates get their careers off to the best possible start!

Jim is Research Professor of Agriculture at Charles Sturt University and Secretary of the Australian Council of Deans of Agriculture. He graduated with BSc and PhD degrees from the University of NSW and took up an academic position at Wagga Wagga. He was Foundation Dean of Science and Agriculture at Charles Sturt University from 1990 until 2006. Jim has taught courses in agronomy and related areas and has published widely in conservation farming, weed management, herbicide resistance, allelopathy and agricultural education. He is a former President of the Australian Society of Agronomy and former Vice President of the International Allelopathy Society. He has served on the Boards of the Cooperative Research Centres of Viticulture, Sustainable Rice Production, Weed Management Systems and Plant Based Management of Dryland Salinity. He is a member of the Research Advisory Committee of the Australian Farm Institute and formerly served on the NSW Primary Industries Ministerial Advisory Council and the National Council for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food of the Australian Academy of Science. He completed a Ministerial Review into Agricultural Education and Training in NSW in 2013 and was awarded an AM in 2019 for services to agricultural education.

John Duff is the project leader for MT20005 Management strategy for serpentine leafminer, Liriomyza huidobrensis.

John has over 24 years’ experience in integrated pest and disease management in vegetable production and has led and contributed to projects, involving green beans, lettuce, brassicas, sweetcorn and nursery production. John is based at the Gatton Research Facility.

John has extensive experience in the industry, having grown up in a family business which has evolved into Perfection Fresh – a $700m national and international fruit and vegetable business.

He joined Perfection Fresh as Chief Financial Officer in 1997 before moving in 2005 he moved into the role of Chief Operations Officer.

John took up his current role as Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) in 2015 and heads up the Commercial side of the business, including Sales, Marketing, Supply, Order Fulfilment and Planning. He is also responsible for the Perfection Fresh trading floors across 4 central markets in Australia. The customer reach of Perfection Fresh spans Chain store retailers, Independent operators, Foodservice, QSR & On line channels.

As CCO, he has restructured the sales and supply teams from a segregated departmentalised-focused approach to streamlined product-focused category teams, allowing each part of the supply chain to work towards the same goals.

He has overseen a complete re-brand of Perfection Fresh, launched more than 50 new products, and introduced product marketing for proprietary products such as Qukes and Calypso.

He has held positions on industry committees and currently sits on the Australian Blueberry Growers’ Association Committee.

Before joining Perfection Fresh, John graduated from Law and spent five years working at a Sydney law firm.

Kerri-Ann is the Owner Director & Production Manager- Value Add at Wickham Farms Killarney, overseeing daily operations, process flow, product sales, marketing, research and development, administration, and quality management systems.

Wickham Farms Killarney, is a family operated business, farming in Queensland since the 1960’s which now spans over four generations. We pride ourselves on growing in four regions across Queensland including, Atherton, Gatton, Warwick and Killarney, packing and value-adding hard vegetables; delivering the freshest produce to supermarkets, food service, wholesalers and food manufactures in Queensland.

Luciano is the CEO of Primary Industries Education Foundation Australia (PIEFA), whose aim is to promote food and fibre education in schools nationally. Hort Innovation currently partners with PIEFA on school education development. Luciano grew up on a vegetable and cut flower farm and has a lifelong interested in horticulture. Prior to his appointment as CEO, he was a high school teacher, teaching agriculture and technology subjects. As well, he was president of the NSW Agriculture Teachers Association and a Lighthouse teacher of excellence in the NSW Dept of Education. Luciano has extensive experience in curriculum development in agriculture and horticulture and STEM and is a very passionate advocate of students knowing about where their food comes from and about mentoring teachers to assist them meet this aim. PIEFA’s main education resource website is: www.primezone.edu.au.

Professor Turner is Deputy Head of the School of Agriculture and Food Sciences at the University of Queensland, Australia.  He leads a research team in the area of food quality and safety with current funding from the Australian Research Council. His current research focus is in lactic acid bacteria genetics, cheese cultures, anti-fungal and anti-pathogen (Salmonella and Listeria) biocontrol applications in dairy and horticulture and Salmonella genomics. He teaches food microbiology, food safety and food biotechnology at UQ and is a Fellow of the ASM and AIFST as well as a member of the editorial boards of mBio and Journal of Food Protection. He was the recipient of the 2017 AIFST Keith Farrer Award of Merit.

Matthew Dwyer is the Group Marketing Manager at Hort Innovation. With over 14 years’ experience across a range of marketing roles in multiple industries, Matthew leads the strategic marketing direction and team across the temperate and tropical fruit portfolio at Hort Innovation in both the domestic and export markets.

Peter leads the Macro Wholefoods Market business within Woolworths Food Company and is passionate about helping customers make little differences through products that provide simple, honest goodness.

For the best part of 20 years Peter has led teams responsible for producing, ranging and marketing food & beverages. In 2011 Peter joined the Woolworths Group predominantly focussing on Woolworths food & drinks brand ranges during a period of great growth and success for the respective own and exclusive brand businesses. During his tenure, his roles have included; General Manager (GM) – Marketing Woolworths FoodCo, GM Marketing –  Woolworths International, GM Marketing – Woolworths Metro, GM Pinnacle Drinks, and Head of Communications & Brand Strategy Cellarmasters.

Rob commenced his retail career at Coles Supermarkets before transferring to the supplier side where he enjoyed successful stints at Lion Dairy & Beverages as State Sales Manager and Tip Top Bakeries as National Sales Director. In 2012 Rob transitioned into client services at Incremental, a leading below the line sales and marketing agency.

At Incremental Rob specialised in Food Service, managing clients across four continents, creating Strategic Business Growth Programs, Go-to-Market Initiatives, Channel Activations, Marketing Communications & Major Event Production and Management.

In May 2021, Rob joined the Woolworths Food Company as Supplier Relations Manager where he plans to combine his experience in sales, marketing, communications and events and manage supplier engagement for the Woolworths Food Company.

Samantha Parker is setting the category marketing agenda for fresh produce as the Group Marketing Manager at Hort Innovation. Leading the strategic delivery of $5.6M+ marketing programs designed to drive demand for a portfolio of 12 Australian vegetable, fruit & greenlife brands. Over the past 16 years, Samantha’s career has spanned across Australia and the UK, working for household names such as Oporto, Wagamama, Jamie Oliver’s Food Foundation, Google and Compass Group, specialising in food marketing, behavioural science activations and data driven campaigns.

As the Senior Project Manager at Healthy Kids Association, Shadia Djakovic manages key nutrition projects supporting the NSW Healthy School Canteen Strategy. At present, she is working alongside the CSIRO in developing solutions for bypassing barriers to increase vegetable implementation within school canteens. As an Accredited Practicing Dietitian, Shadia also offers extensive experience as a nutritionist working both in the Food Industry and lecturing at a formal tertiary level. Highly passionate about public health nutrition and health promotion; she likes seeking new ways to make vegetables fun and pursues innovative solutions to societal health optimisation. Away from work, Shadia can be found adventuring with her boisterous two-year-old son.

An Associate Registered Nutritionist, teacher, speaker, author and podcaster, Tara is renowned for her no-nonsense approach to nutrition and health. With a passion for busting nutrition myths, Tara helps take the confusion out of what has become a crazy nutrition world.

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 is now a Principal at Beanstalk, Australia’s premier agtech innovation agency. Paul focusses on how open innovation can transform 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.