Gippsland agribusinesses have got until the end of this week to enter the inaugural Food & Fibre Gippsland Excellence in Agribusiness Awards.
Awards Program Coordinator Kate Gunn has already received a good number of entries across the nine categories, but there’s still plenty of time to grow that list with more. She is encouraging businesses of all sizes to complete the simple online entry process to put themselves in contention for some potentially life-changing prizes.
“The Agribusiness of the Year will be awarded a $15,000 scholarship that provides them a spot on an international agribusiness tour with KPMG,“ Ms Gunn said. “The hands-on information and insights learned on these Agri-Food Tech Traction Tours is incredible – via KPMG’s global network, there really is an exclusive level of private access to people, emerging technologies and facilities that is simply not available to the general public."
Ms Gunn says that the Young Agribusiness of the Year, sponsored by the Commonwealth Bank, has a unique opportunity to connect with peers via a TRAIL Leadership course with the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation, where they will develop deeper skills via a challenge based program that involves workshops, panel sessions and seminars, combined with a four day outdoor leadership experience.
“People who have completed this course indicate that it gives them a new level of confidence as a leader and really gives them a new skill set to engage more effectively in their communities, businesses and industries,“ she said.
Food & Fibre Gippsland Co-Deputy Chair Andrew Bulmer is a passionate advocate for Gippsland agribusinesses entering awards, saying that it’s important for the individuals to enjoy the accolades of winning an award, whilst also driving greater awareness of what is being achieved by food & fibre businesses right across the region.
“These awards are all about recognizing the innovation and excellence in business practices that are shaping the future of the agribusiness in Gippsland – so it’s a great opportunity to showcase the successes that you’ve generated to date and demonstrate how you plan to continue to build on that in the future,” he said.
Entries will be judged by an independent high-calibre panel made up of business leaders with a broad understanding of business management and the food and fibre sector. Entrants need to complete a series of questions about their farm/agribusiness performance and provide insight into their future plans.
The categories include: Excellence in Service, Excellence in Workforce Capability, Excellence in Exporting, Excellence in Research and Development, Excellence in Food Manufacturing, Excellence in Innovation, Excellence in Sustainability and Excellence in Adaption to Change.
The awards will be presented at a gala event in August, with every category winner will also receive two tickets to Global Table Melbourne and the opportunity for their agribusiness to be showcased at the event in early September, hailed as a unique environment to make connections, capitalize on new advances and connect to the global food network.
Co-Deputy Chair of Food & Fibre Gippsland Stuart Quigley says the benefits of entering the Excellence in Agribusiness Awards are twofold.
“For the finalists and the winners, this is great exposure for the achievements of their business – and at the same time, their inclusion is part of an important showcase that highlights the depth and variety of talent and business acumen across the region,” he said. “It also gives owners and managers of Gippsland agribusinesses a platform where, as part of the entry process, they have to take detailed look at a number of aspects of their business. This can help them see their successes in a different light, and perhaps identify additional ways to maximise future profitability and productivity of their operations."
With the broad range of categories reaching across all food & fibre sectors, the program is keen to receive entries from farm businesses that are shaping the future of Gippsland agribusiness through innovation and business practices that maximise productivity and profitability.
Entry is online via: www.foodandfibregippsland.com.au/events/excellence-in-agribusiness-awards
For more information
Kate Gunn
Program Coordinator
Phone: +61 431 591 500