Growing the next generation of industry leaders

THAT’S the vision behind Summerfruit Australia’s Emerging Leaders Program, a year-long initiative bringing together emerging professionals from across the country to strengthen leadership capability, build industry connections and prepare the next generation of industry leaders.

Built around four key pillars; innovation, leadership, governance, and business/finance, the Emerging Leaders Program combines workshops, field trips and collaborative learning to provide participants with practical skills, fresh perspectives and valuable industry connections they can carry throughout their careers.

One participant already seeing the benefits is James, a sixth-generation orchardist from Nannup, Western Australia. James works on his family’s 425-hectare property, where 20 hectares are dedicated to orchard production, growing mid-season nectarines, peaches, plums and apricots, alongside pome fruit.

For James, one of the greatest strengths of the program has been its practical approach to leadership and business management.

“The information we’ve been given so far is inherently valuable,” he said. “It’s practical, useful and directly relevant to us as future business leaders.”

A standout learning has been developing a greater understanding of people management and team dynamics.

“We’ve explored more effective ways to understand the people within our team, strategies around team building, and how team dynamics change, particularly when introducing new staff,” James said.

"It's also reinforced the importance of being a better delegator, recognising our staff and making sure we're playing to people's strengths."

One lesson James believes will have a lasting impact is considering individual personalities when assigning roles within a business.

"I'd never really thought about analysing people's personality traits to determine which role might suit them best," he said.

"I think that's something that will bring real value to our business moving forward."

While the workshops provide valuable knowledge, James says the opportunity to connect with fellow participants has been just as rewarding.

"The networking component has been incredibly valuable. There are people from different backgrounds, growing regions and business sizes, so it's been great hearing different perspectives and learning from one another in a peer-to-peer environment."

The experience has also strengthened James' understanding of effective leadership.

"Listening, observing, questioning and understanding are qualities that good leadership comes down to," he said.

For anyone considering applying in the future, James has no hesitation in recommending the program.

"I'd highly recommend it. The knowledge, networking and practical leadership skills have all been incredibly valuable, and I'm looking forward to everything that's still to come."

As the inaugural cohort continues its leadership journey, the Emerging Leaders Program is already demonstrating the value of investing in the people who will shape the future of Australia's summerfruit industry. By developing practical leadership skills, encouraging collaboration and creating lasting connections across the country's growing regions, the program is helping cultivate a stronger, more resilient industry for generations to come.

Just as great orchards are cultivated over time, so too are the leaders who will guide Australia's summerfruit industry into the future. 🍑

GROWING

the next generation of industry leaders

"The program has also shown us that good leaders need to be dynamic and adaptable to make the best decisions in different situations."

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