The 2023 Rural Leaders Agribusiness Summit theme ‘Forefront’ reflects focus on the businesses making change and providing solutions to some of the sector’s biggest challenges and opportunities.
The Summit seeks to promote global vision, leadership and innovation by demonstrating some of the practical solutions shown to mitigate the challenges facing agribusiness today.
The Summit begins with a welcome and scene setting session snapshotting the imperative for change and the opportunities landscape.
Guest speakers for this session include, Devry Boughner Vorwerk, CEO DevryBV.
This opening session is designed to supercharge the discussion sessions to come, organised into three key streams:
Our World - Our Natural Environment
This session explores leadership and innovation in the advancement and restoration of the natural resources critical to the future of agribusiness.
The session showcases those champions nurturing the environment while also remaining profitable. The session will also have a circular economy thread, exploring businesses redesigning food chains to remove waste and reuse product not consumed.
Guest speakers will include:
Lain Jager, Chair, Te Puna Whakaaronui (NZ Primary Sector Think Tank)
Volker Kuntzsch, CEO, Cawthorn Institute
Followed by a panel discussion facilitated by Corin Dann.
Our People - Consumer Trends and Trade
12:45-2:30pm
The focus of this session will be on businesses responding to the unstoppable international trends of power shifting to the consumer, business models being challenged, and the eastern movement of the world’s economic centre of gravity.
Delegates will be able to seize on the learnings of agri-food and consumer businesses meeting the challenges of fast-changing demographics, food trends and changes in consumer values.
It also explores the opportunities that may arise for agribusiness as we experience a convergence of changing world population demographics and more transparent trade policy.
Guest speakers will include:
Vangelis Vitalis, Deputy Secretary Trade and Economic, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Tom Sturgess, owner of Lone Star Farms
And a panel discussion facilitated by Corin Dann.
Our Future - Entrepreneurship & Leadership
3:00-4:30pm
The third session will concentrate on the future, social, economic and environmental wellbeing of agribusiness. The session will cover the areas where value will be derived in generations to come, showcasing world-leading business case studies and responsive new business models.
Speakers from a range of industries will show how economic viability will be key to family business succession and intergenerational business value growth.
Guest speakers so far include:
Traci Houpapa, MNZM
As with the previous two sessions, Corin Dann will facilitate a panel discussion.
To close out the day’s schedule, there will be a wrap-up focussing some of the key takeaways and action commitments.
This will run from 4:30 to 5:15pm and precede a networking drinks opportunity.
Agribusiness Summit Dinner
7-10:30pm
Featuring Special Guest Speakers – Hon Minister Damien O’Connor and Te Radar.
We’ll provide more information on the Summit, networking and dinner in the coming weeks across our networks as well as our Rural Leaders and Programmes social media pages.
For Summit and Dinner prices and bookings visit https://au.eventscloud.com/agribusinesssummit
