Speaker program jam packed for Hort Connections 2024

Here is just a sample of some of those who will present.

Dr Craig Emerson is an eminent economist with 40 years' experience in public policy, politics and public service.

He is managing director of Emerson Economics. Dr Emerson was Australia's minister for trade from 2010 to 2013.

In 2024, Dr Emerson was appointed independent reviewer of the Food and Grocery Code of Conduct.

David Williams is one of Australia's best known investment bankers who specialises in agriculture, food and beverages.

His PhD research at the University of Sydney was on the "capital structure of co-operatives".

When he went into investment banking in 1984, the first job he worked on was the merger of SPC and Armona.

He recently sold SPC for Coca Cola Amatil.

Tamara Muruetagoiena is the vice president of sustainability for the International Fresh Produce Association. She served as the executive director of Great Mountain Forest, where she worked to promote conservation and sustainable forestry, and was also responsible for the organisation's carbon investment program.

Prior to this role, she served as senior global manager in sustainability and R&D at Driscoll's where she focused a variety of organisational strategies.

Dr Cathy Wilkinson is CEO of the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation and has more than 20 years leadership experience.

Wayne Prowse commenced his marketing career at Edgell Birds Eye (now Simplot) and worked through domestic and export marketing roles at Horticulture Australia, and the Department of Agriculture before establishing Fresh Intelligence Consulting.

Mr Prowse's strong statistics and analytic background has earned Fresh Intelligence a powerful reputation for providing clear market analysis of strategic interest for his government, industry and business clients.

Maya Shehayeb is the general manager of Australasia at Euromonitor International with more than 15 years of experience in market research and consulting.

She has supported businesses across wide-ranging industries in identifying growth opportunities, sizing their potential and using a go-to market strategy.

As a Senior Consultant at RMCG, Clinton Muller is specially placed to provide an independent perspective of the drivers, implications and decision points for horticulture producers around the emerging carbon farming space.

Mr Muller is an approved trainer from the University of Melbourne's Carbon Neutral Ag Training Program, and spent a sabbatical investing carbon financing mechanisms for large scale restoration programs.

Dr Sarah Oxford is a senior researcher at the Institute for Safety, Compensation and Recovery Research (ISCRR) at Monash University.

She is passionate about making work on farms safer through practical solutions.

Jason Stott heads the senior executive team delivering Australian domestic operations of the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility scheme.

He has extensive experience leading governance and program management operations across federal departments.