Managing Director & CEO
SwarmFarm Robotics
Founder / Owner
Mountain Blue Farms Pty Ltd.
Director
CatapultWealth
Marketing Manager
Horticulture Innovation Australia
Entrepreneur / Farmer
Investor / Innovator
De Paoli Orchards
Founder/ Chief Thinker
Thinkerbell
General Manager
Rabobank
Founder
Lexi Tech
President
Australian Ginger Industry Association
MCI Australia
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Ridley is the founder/owner of Mountain Blue farms in NSW Australia. He has been actively involved in the blueberry industry in Australia since 1975, when he commenced assessing Northern Highbush seedlings at the Horticultural Research Institute in Knoxfield. He released the variety Brigitta from that program.
In 1981 he moved to Northern NSW to grow low chilling varieties that would ripen in the window between the end of the Northern Hemisphere season and the start of the season in a number of Southern hemisphere countries.
Since that time he has released a number of new blueberry varieties for warm climate areas around the world, assessing approximately 5000 seedlings from up to 120 crosses each year. The breeding program has had a strong emphasis on consumer quality, never compromising on flavour, as well as fruit size, crunch and productivity. To date, MBO varieties have been licenced in 23 countries around the world under exclusive contracts, and sought after because of the emphasis on flavour, crunch and yields.
Mountain Blue Farms is a vertically integrated company, breeding new varieties, growing the plants on in a wholesale nursery, harvesting fruit from over 120 hectares and marketing blueberries, as well as raspberries and strawberries through its marketing company.
In 2010, Ridley received the NSW Farmer of the year award.
With nearly three decades of experience in the finance industry, Tony has seen many changes in the markets. Tony has a background in accounting, research, stockbroking and financial planning which allows him to provide a broad range of advice to his clients on different stages of their life. Tony has significant experience in sharemarkets and succession planning to farming clients, presenting at Regional Skill Training (RST), the Australian Shareholders Association (ASA), regional TAFE and the ASX investor hours for over 20 years.
After marrying into a farming family over 20 years ago, Tony decided to provide more help to family businesses in South Australia. Succession planning, retirement planning, education of the next generation and protection of wealth are major issues that have been identified. Tony is ideally skilled to help families and as a specialist Self-Managed Super Fund adviser, Tony has the ability to transition clients into retirement with cost effective, tailored retirement solutions.
Keep it simple is his main approach and he ensures that you understand every facet of how your money is invested.
Matt Church is a seeker of truth, sharing his learning through teaching and writing. As the founder of Thought Leaders and a highly respected conference presenter, he
communicates, connects and challenges audiences and himself to be the best version of themselves.
Matt invites all leaders to expand their view of what is and find true inspiration. Highly intuitive, Matt experiences much of life beyond the observable and explainable. His ability
to make the complex simple and the way forward clear, has him speaking all over the world. Grounding big ideas in practical perspectives, the evolution of Matt’s thinking can
be traced through the eleven books he has written.
Always one to draw a line in the sand, his latest book Rise Up; an evolution in leadership represents the next level for Matt, as he turns inwards to understand and apply
age old wisdom to leadership.
Clear and focused, gentle and affirming. Unequivocal.
To follow Matt’s unfolding thinking, go to mattchurch.com
You can learn about Thought leaders at thoughtleaders.com.au
As an experienced entrepreneur for over two decades, at a young age Trent quickly found his passion for solving problems with innovation and creating long standing companies that create a better world for tomorrow. As an “over the horizon” thinker, he wake’s with ambition of creating a better world and leveraging business as the platform to do this. During the last 24 years, he has taken revolutionary new products to market, built international supply and demand chains, brought new technologies to commercialisation, created unique consumer brands and built world class leadership teams. Trent and his family own several avocado orchards in the Bundaberg region and is an investor in start-up companies and companies wishing to scale.
Trent has served on many industry, government and private enterprise boards such as the Ag Industry Advisory Council (Federal Government), Strategic Investment Group for Horticulture Innovation Australia, Farmer reference groups for the National Farmers Federation, private family enterprises and more. In 2013 he was honoured to receive a Nuffield Scholarship and has since gone on to represent Nuffield in many representative functions.
His time at the University of Queensland graduating as a Food Technologist was critical to help frame his thinking for the future with science, technology and foresight. Trent is also a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
His favourite saying is “remain flexible to remain relevant” and Charles Darwin’s outstanding theory which he has shortened to simply “you are either growing or your dying, there is nowhere in between”
Adam is one of Australia’s leading creative strategists, and a consumer psychologist. In 2004, Adam co-founded Naked Communications. Naked embraced a behavioural change model, building brands whilst changing behaviour, and was one of Australia’s most awarded and successful agencies. Following that, Adam created Thinkerbell – where he practices ‘measured magic’ – bringing together marketing science and hardcore creativity. After just 2 years, it became AdNews 2019 Creative Agency of the year, and has already won a slew of awards for high profile earned media ideas.
In other news, Adam is also the author of two books “The Advertising Effect”, and ‘Stop Listening to the Customer’ (Wiley, 2020), a very regular media commentator (Gruen, Sunrise, The Project) and sits on the boards of PIJI (Public Interest Journalism Initiative) and TRIBE (a social content creation agency). Adam is married to Anna and has two sons Asterix and Arturo.
Rabobank’s local research division is comprised of 11 analysts, who are charged with analysing developments in food and agricultural markets and industries, and advising the bank and its clients on strategic implications for their businesses.
It is part of a broader global team of 90 analysts, located in major food production regions of the world.
In addition to managing the RaboResearch team, Tim advises corporate and rural clients across a multitude of sectors on a issues ranging from the rise of substitute foods, why supply change must change and winning consumer trust. He is a regular facilitator at banks Executive Development Program and hosts the banks regional podcast channel.
Prior to his current role, Tim Hunt was the global strategist and team leader of Rabobank’s Dairy research team – based in New York. Tim’s responsibilities included analysing developments in the regional and global dairy markets, co-ordinating Rabobank’s medium term dairy forecasts, advising Rabobank on its engagement with the dairy industry, advising clients on the implications of market developments for their businesses, and assisting with mergers and acquisitions advisory.
In his time with the bank Tim has regularly visited and engaged with clients in North America, Latin America, China, South East Asia and Western Europe.
Tim is a regular and highly sought after speaker at local and international conferences. Tim is a professional economist with 25 years’ experience, gained through working with leading financial institutions and strategic consultancies in Australia, England and the United States. Tim graduated from the University of Melbourne in 1993 with an honours degree in Economics and Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Arts degrees.
Brought up on mixed farming property in Zimbabwe. Jack completed a BAppSc at The University of QLD, Australia in 2001. Jack has worked in a diverse range of farming, ag-tech, geo-technical, analytical, food and beverage industries starting at Crop Tech, T-Systems and onto Ausveg as the North Australian IDO, followed by growing fruit in the Mary Valley, and in 2009 Jack became the CEO of Hortus Technical Services, Australia’s leading independent certified laboratory and agronomic services company.
In 2013 Founder of microbial biotechnology company – Biofilm Crop Protection Pty Ltd. and in 2014 founded the Bargara Brewing Company, producing Craft Beer, Cider & Seltzer. In Nov. 2019 Hortus and Biofilm, came together to form Novum Lifesciences.
In 2020 Jack founded Lexi Tech (Singapore) as a Global Ag-Tech Data Management company with AgPro as the Cornerstone SaaS technology platform and data hub underpinning agronomics, product distribution and application. Data partners around the world service 400 crops grown by over 3000 farmers covering over 1 million ha in over 20 countries using AgPro.
Jack and his family own property in Bundaberg and in 2020 established Hartwood Smart Farm as Australia’s only pure bred Tuli cattle stud. Using advanced genomics, FTAI, and the collection of genetics incorporating 13 bulls selected by CSIRO and imported into Australia from Zimbabwe in the 1990’s. “Hartwood Tuli’s” form the nucleus herd of pure genetics to contribute to composite herds around the world. 6 Hartwood Tuli bulls are currently having their full genome mapped as part of a Bill and Melinda Gates foundation research project investigating Bovine parasite resistance in Sub-Saharan Dairy production.
As a 2006/7 Nuffield Scholar studying “Globally competitive horticultural production processing and marketing using renewable energy” over eighteen months I spent time researching best practice agronomic management, product processing, clean energy and marketing in India, New Zealand, China, UAE, UK and the US. Along with proven theoretical knowledge, Jack combines practical international experience in Large scale agricultural and horticultural projects, Environmental Science, technical management, commercialisation, project development and implementation.
I have had an active involvement in finding solutions to improve the efficiency and profitability of producers by facilitating the optimal use of crop production inputs through monitoring, testing, research, training and consulting services that represent worlds’ best practices in crop management systems.
Mary O’Brien founded the ‘Are you bogged mate?’ program in 2018.
She travels the country breaking down the stigma of mental health and depression, especially among rural men, while also connecting them with vital resources and support.
An article Ms O’Brien wrote in 2018 titled ‘Are you bogged mate?’ gained international attention and highlighted the mental health challenges country men face on a daily basis and the disconnect between the way depression is communicated to men across rural and remote Australia.
Shane is a third-generation farmer who helps run their family farming business. Templeton Farming Enterprises are based at Eumundi in Queensland with farming operations expanding from Gympie to Maryborough.
Shane has served as a company director for Buderim Ginger Limited and is the President of the Australian Ginger Industry Association (AGIA). In recent years this role has included navigating major production battles like Pythium outbreaks in ginger, which decimated the industry. Shane was also involved with Biosecurity Australia’s Import Risk Assessment for fresh ginger imports, leading to significant biosecurity measures implemented industry wide.
Shane holds a Bachelor of Business from Queensland University of Technology and has completed the Australian Institute of Company Directors course.
The accomplished dare-devil helicopter pilot and wildlife re-locator has in recent years projected his skills to a global audience of more than 85 countries as the star of National Geographic’s acclaimed television series Outback Wrangler.
But the rugged yet polished product of the wilds of Papua New Guinea and the Australian outback has numerous other strings to his bow that have established him as an emerging talent of the highest order.
So much so, that Tourism Australia has recruited South Australia-born Wright to sell the virtues of his homeland in one of the world’s biggest tourism markets – the United States of America – as part of his role in the hugely-successful ‘Dundee’ television commercial which made its debut to a worldwide audience in the 2018 Super Bowl telecast.
Outback Wrangler, now in its third series globally, has become one of National Geographic’s hottest products since its debut in 2011. In addition to the program’s international exposure, it is aired on Australia’s Nine Network.
As a child, Matt Wright was raised in Papua New Guinea and the Australian outback, where, living off the land and being comfortable with animals such as deadly snakes, spiders, stampeding cattle and even sharks, was simply way of life.
By the time he turned 10, he had a collection of some of Australia’s most lethal animals: including three deadly King Brown snakes (that lived in his bedroom) and was frequently in trouble at home and at school for eagerly sharing his ‘pets’ with his classmates and family.
As an adult, his career path has seen him tackle a range of jobs that require both nerves of steel and a practical ‘can do’ attitude. Spending time as an outback horse wrangler, oil rig worker, soldier in the Australian Army, crocodile egg collector and, more recently, a professional chopper pilot and instructor.
Today, Matt’s passions and unique skill set have turned into a career as a wildlife re-locator; tracking down, capturing and transporting a diverse range of dangerous animals including crocodiles, wild buffalo and even Polar Bears. His objective is based on the preservation of wildlife: to remove and relocate problem animals rather than kill.
Working in a specific junction between the world of the wild and the world of humans, Matt’s moto is: any animal, anywhere, any time and he has plied his unique trade all over Australia as well as North America.
As a highly-experienced chopper pilot Matt, is able to access areas that would otherwise be impossible to reach; as a conservationist he brings a unique practical skills set and a perspective based on hands-on experience and a genuine compassion.
Matt Church is a seeker of truth, sharing his learning through teaching and writing. As the founder of Thought Leaders and a highly respected conference presenter, he
communicates, connects and challenges audiences and himself to be the best version of themselves.
Matt invites all leaders to expand their view of what is and find true inspiration. Highly intuitive, Matt experiences much of life beyond the observable and explainable. His ability
to make the complex simple and the way forward clear, has him speaking all over the world. Grounding big ideas in practical perspectives, the evolution of Matt’s thinking can
be traced through the eleven books he has written.
Always one to draw a line in the sand, his latest book Rise Up; an evolution in leadership represents the next level for Matt, as he turns inwards to understand and apply
age old wisdom to leadership.
Clear and focused, gentle and affirming. Unequivocal.
To follow Matt’s unfolding thinking, go to mattchurch.com
You can learn about Thought leaders at thoughtleaders.com.au
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Matt Church is a seeker of truth, sharing his learning through teaching and writing. As the founder of Thought Leaders and a highly respected conference presenter, he
communicates, connects and challenges audiences and himself to be the best version of themselves.
Matt invites all leaders to expand their view of what is and find true inspiration. Highly intuitive, Matt experiences much of life beyond the observable and explainable. His ability
to make the complex simple and the way forward clear, has him speaking all over the world. Grounding big ideas in practical perspectives, the evolution of Matt’s thinking can
be traced through the eleven books he has written.
Always one to draw a line in the sand, his latest book Rise Up; an evolution in leadership represents the next level for Matt, as he turns inwards to understand and apply
age old wisdom to leadership.
Clear and focused, gentle and affirming. Unequivocal.
To follow Matt’s unfolding thinking, go to mattchurch.com
You can learn about Thought leaders at thoughtleaders.com.au
