NFF’s Diversity in Agriculture Leadership Program had 12 women with skills and experience in agriculture and a vision for the industry’s future graduate on October 14.
Program graduate and Undera dairy farmer Sarah Parker said her experience was rewarding and challenging.
“The program has provided me a great opportunity to meet and connect with new people, in particular, the 12 women who are the 2020 cohort, the guest speakers, NFF staff and my mentor Richard Clark, in a time where I essentially was staying home and not socialising due to COVID-19 restrictions,” Ms Parker said.
After completing the five-month virtual program, the 12 women will join an alumni of 30 graduates who are now represented on some of agriculture’s most influential boards, committees and forums.
“I look forward to continuing to learn and be inspired by the amazing women that are part of the alumni cohort,” Ms Parker said.
“I also look forward to, in the future, meeting face to face with the 2020 cohort and the women who participated in the program in 2018 and 2019.”
Ms Parker will continue to work as a director on the Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority board and will collaborate with the Australian Women in Agriculture board to build its strategic plan.
“I would love to work in agriculture at a national level, in some capacity in the future,” she said.
NFF president Fiona Simson said the program would increase the representation of women around the tables where the pivotal decisions were made.
“With the program in its third year, we were humbled to learn of the monumental progress many of our partners have made towards gender parity at their senior leadership and board levels and indeed, across their entire organisations,” Ms Simson said.
“This program is all about shifting the dial and the evidence is clear that we are doing just that by taking a two-pronged approach: developing the female leaders of the very-near future and providing a framework by which leading industry organisations can commit to, and report on, change.”
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