When deciding on whether to undertake a Kellogg, the words of others can be one of the strongest lines of information you can gather.
The Ideas that Grow podcasts often feature Kellogg Scholars discussing their backgrounds, work and their Kellogg Programme experiences.
We have done some of the information gathering work for you with twelve podcasts on Kellogg alumni – a key Kellogg quote shown next to each Kellogg alum interviewed.
Quotes and podcasts in order of image, left to right.
1. Richard Dawkins (2023) – Sheep and beef
“The timing for me was perfect, in that I’d done a lot of industry stuff by that point. I had a few connections and a reasonable understanding of the bigger picture. But look, to go into Kellogg, it just really supercharged that foundation I had.”
2. Alice Rule (2019) – Viticulture
“Something that really stood out for me is the amount of confidence that I got out of the programme. It just equips you with so many tools…You get that confidence when you are surrounded by such amazing people…”
3. Dame Alison Stewart (Kellogg presenter) – Arable
“I think that’s what the Kellogg Leadership Programme does. It makes you realise that what you thought you knew and what you thought was a valid belief, there may actually be alternative viewpoints. You have to open your mind to different ways of thinking and different people’s perceptions of agriculture…”
4. Campbell Parker (Kellogg presenter) – Dairy, Leadership
“They’re always energising. You get in a room with this year’s intake. In January, there was probably 20 people in the room. They’re all passionate about what they do. They ask good questions, which is good and challenging. But they’re there for a reason – they want to make a difference…”
5. Tim Orlando-Reep (2025) – Sheep and beef
“…and the crew you end up with in your cohort. Such a wide range of people from the north to the south, and not just beef farmers! …we’ve got dairy, we’ve got horticulture, we’ve got the wine industry, we’ve got everything going on. It’s just a great opportunity to be able to get someone else’s point of view.”
6. Dave Nuku (2024) – Māori agribusiness
“I can absolutely say without any word of a lie or doubt that it was the best leadership programme that I’ve ever done. The most complete and thorough. The quality of the information from the presenters that you’re exposed to is really world-class.”
7. Esther Donkersloot (2024) – Dairy, Genetics
“You walk in that room the first day and you get bad imposter syndrome. Being a scientist, I’m like, wow, there’s all these leaders…what am I doing here? But I think the beauty of Kellogg is not just the content and the speakers you get, but it is the cohort.”
“It was a fantastic programme. It’s well structured, it’s well organised…great speakers, great content, a peer group that you go through with. So, for me, it was a life-changing experience…”
9. Jen Corkran (2023) – Agribusiness, Red Meat
“You’re on this journey together so those networks you make with the people in your cohort, you can’t put any value on it because it’s golden. You’re doing the journey together, you’re in this challenging but stimulating environment. And that network is for life now with those people.”
10. Thomas Holmes (2024) – Arable
“I think the big part of it is actually just the networking, the talking to industry leaders in the Chatham House rules sense, where you can get some real open discussions, where you don’t get that in the real world.”
“This is a structured programme that has given me access to things and people that I would never ever have had access to.”
12. Lisa Lunn (2024) – Genetic technology
