The Australian Meat Industry Council has signed an international partnership with UK based professional networking group, Meat Business Women, to support and advance the network in Australia.
The partnership will involve MBW and AMIC working together to develop the image of the meat industry, support women working in all roles, pre and post farmgate, and encourage new female entrants into the sector. Following their launch in 2015, MBW has also recently announced partnerships with Beef and Lamb New Zealand and The International Meat Secretariat.
A voluntary committee has been established to work alongside AMIC on the future of MBW in the Australian meat industry. The committee is comprised of the following prominent females within the meat industry sector:
- Dalene Wray OBE Organic Managing Director (Qld)
- Joanne Macri Wellard Administration & HSE Coordinator (WA)
- Louise Harland Cox AMIC National Member Services Manager (NSW)
- Maureen Gimple Bindaree Beef - Group Human Resources (QLD)
- Melissa Fletcher Fletcher International Chief Executive Officer (NSW)
- Stacey Mckenna AMIC Manager Industry Research, Standards and Capability (Vic)
- Tania Carey General Manager Food Processing Equipment AUS and NZ (SA)
AMIC CEO Patrick Hutchinson says the committee is made up of an experienced and committed group of women who have great networks that other women can tap into and leverage.
MBW is a strong international organisation, and AMIC is excited to bring their already successful initiative to Australian shores, Patrick says.
“We won’t be reinventing the wheel but bringing new initiatives and events to women in our meat sector, giving them opportunities for success, both inside and outside of their chosen career,” he said.
To kick off the working partnership, the inaugural Australian Meat Business Women Networking event is being held on Wednesday 3 April at the Park Royal, Melbourne Airport. The event will be the first of its kind, bringing together women from across the meat supply chain, including processors, wholesalers, retailers and smallgoods manufacturers.
The day will headline prominent industry figures and motivational speakers, as well as networking opportunities throughout the day including a speed networking session.
MBW Australia committee member Dalene Wray says the event will provide opportunities for women in the industry to connect, educate, and contribute.
Attendees will be able to listen to and contribute to discussions about the opportunities and challenges for women in the Australian meat industry. The topics covered will be wide ranging and will aim to attract new female talent, create greater awareness of what is happening in our industry and provide an avenue for women to support each other, Dalene said.
“There are many women working in our industry who are not getting the unique networking opportunities they need, and this event will create an open space to connect, learn and grow their meat sector careers,” she said.
I encourage all leaders working in the industry to start thinking about the women in your organisation that would benefit from this event, and get them signed up, Dalene said.
Tickets are now on sale with key speakers to be announced shortly. For more information and to register and purchase tickets visit www.amic.org.au/news-events/mbw.