On International Women’s Day, we acknowledge and celebrate the enormous contribution women make to the Australian almond industry and explore a new initiative developing the next generation of leaders.
The inaugural Growing Almond Leaders program started in January, with an equal split of four male and four female participants.
Almondco’s export documentation administrator Vi Vu said she was encouraged to apply for the leadership program by Almondco’s Group Sales and Marketing Manager Paul Stewart.
“I want to learn more about the almond industry and have a bigger impact at Almondco,” she said.
Vi will mark her fifth year at Almondco in 2025.
After initially starting on the processing line, she moved into quality assurance, followed by logistics and then export documentation.
“It’s been a good journey moving through the different areas and I’m lucky to have had so many opportunities to move through the different departments.”
The Vietnamese Australian said the highlight of the leadership program so far was a self-development workshop.
“Learning about my own style of communication, decision making and problem-solving skills has encouraged me to reflect on my personal strengths and areas for development,” she said.
Mentors are an important component of the leadership program, with eight industry leaders selected and volunteering their time to nurture the next generation.
Each participant in the program has been matched with a mentor and Jane Barter, the business manager at AgField Services in the Riverina said she was excited to be sharing her experiences with an enthusiastic young woman who is working towards becoming a future leader in agriculture.
“This industry continues to have lower female representation and so it is very pleasing to see half of the participants in the Growing Almond Leaders Program are women,” Jane said.
“While my career has not always been in horticulture, I am excited to share my pathway into leadership and my business skills, developed from various industries and sectors, including small business, corporate and government.”
Jane said she’s also expecting to learn a lot from being a mentor in the Growing Almonds Leaders program.
“I expect I’ll be challenged on my own thinking and am looking forward to learning more about the next generations’ work and career expectations and to understand further the challenges they expect to face,” she said.
Jane and her husband Nathan Payne established AgField Services more than a decade ago.
The company has developed almost 2,000 hectares of almond plantings in the Murrumbidgee region for corporate investors and they now manage the ongoing operations of these orchards.
This includes tree health, budget preparation and financial management, human resources and workplace health and safety.
AgField Services directly employs around 35 FTE and this grows to more than 60 during harvest.
When sub-contract labour is added to the equation staffing exceeds 100 people.
Both Jane and Vi agree that International Women’s Day in an opportunity to celebrate the wonderful women in their professional lives and to pause and reflect on the achievements and progress made.
Jane said she’s very grateful that she was born in Australia.
“What a blessing!”, she said.
“Internationally, there is a lot more to do to improve the lives and outcomes of women who do not have the same rights, voice or opportunities that we do.”