Speakers

Kaitie Nash is a speaker, content creator and rural advocate best known as "The First Time Farmer." After leaving city life to join her husband's family farm in regional New South Wales, Kaitie began sharing her journey of learning agriculture from the ground up. 

What started as a way to document her experience has grown into a platform that connects urban and rural Australians through her authentic storytelling. 

Passionate about bridging the gap between producers and consumers, Kaitie uses social media, public speaking and community engagement to shine a light on the people, challenges and opportunities that shape rural Australia.

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Sam Kekovich is a larger than life, public dynamo. As one of the very real personalities of AFL football, a flamboyant media identity and the face of the Australian meat and livestock campaign for lamb, Sam Kekovich holds huge appeal amongst Australian audiences. A naturally gifted entertainer, Sam brings a wonderfully satirical, irreverent and hard-hitting brand of humour to any occasion.

Emma Germano is a farmer, strategist and experienced governance leader who has spent much of her career at the intersection of agriculture, business and public policy.

A Nuffield Scholar and former President of the Victorian Farmers Federation, Emma is known for challenging conventional thinking, navigating complex policy environments and advocating for agriculture with clarity, courage and a healthy disregard for “the way we’ve always done things”.

She brings extensive board and executive experience across agriculture, markets, infrastructure and community services, and currently serves as a director of the Melbourne Market Authority and Queen Victoria Market.

Whether in the paddock, the boardroom or the halls of Parliament, Emma is interested in how power really works — who has it, how influence is built, and why being right is rarely enough. She is a compelling communicator who believes agriculture’s future depends not on asking for sympathy, but on earning influence.

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Shannon Barwick is a third-generation dairy farmer with a strong interest in the future of agriculture and the role technology can play in shaping it. After returning home following a professional career, she became part of the next chapter of the family farm, helping to build a new dairy and introduce four Lely Astronauts.

Combining hands-on farming experience with insight gained outside the industry, Shannon brings a practical and personal perspective to automated dairy farming. 

She is passionate about innovation, sustainability, and creating a future-focused dairy business that honours tradition while embracing change.

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John Hill is the Co-Founder and Chief Storyteller of Land Watch Australia, the leading on-farm security monitoring product. Based on Queensland's Sunshine Coast, John and his brothers lead the Land Watch team in delivering purpose-built camera systems to rural Australia. 

John is deeply passionate about all aspects of agriculture and the innovative use of technology on farms. He is particularly focused on how these advancements can enhance safety and efficiency for producers. Motivated by a desire to share his insights on crime prevention, John provides a unique perspective from his position at the forefront of on-farm security. 

As head of the sales and marketing team at Land Watch, John has one clear objective: to educate rural Australia on how to protect what matters most. His leadership and vision have led Land Watch to become the market leader in the category and the trusted name in rural security solutions.

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Journalist Kristy O’Brien has been involved in the production of factual television for more than 15 years travelling across remote parts of Australia, India, Africa, China and South East Asia with a content focus on trade, international relations and agriculture.

Her main focus now is as the West Australian/Northern Territory Reporter and stand in Presenter for flagship ABC program ‘Landline’, ‘Backroads’ and ‘Movin to the Country’. Previously she worked in the fast-paced world of news as a Reporter, Chief of Staff and Producer at the Seven Network and ABC. At the ABC she's also produced stories for Australian Story, 7:30 and ‘Old People’s Home for Teenagers’.  Recently she also provided journalistic insight and narration on the hit Netflix series ‘Last Stop Larrimah’. 

She's a mother to two rather wild tiny Territory boys who make the juggle all the more fun and is passionate about bringing regional stories to life. 

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Andrew Johanson is an experienced agronomist, agricultural manager, and farm operator with a strong track record in regenerative agriculture, integrated pest management, ag-tech adoption, and sustainable cropping systems. He has held senior leadership roles while also driving innovation through R&D in sweetcorn, green beans, and bioactive crops in collaboration with leading researchers.

Andrew combines circular economy principles with on-farm practical outcomes. He is helping farming businesses adopt regenerative practices backed by data-driven performance tracking.

Passionate about youth development and industry leadership, Andrew has contributed to initiatives such as Boys’ Brigade Queensland and serves on the AUSVEG Strategic Investment Advisory Panel (SIAP). His work is focused on growing food as medicine, building resilient farming systems that balance productivity, profitability, and sustainability.
 

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Mark Cotter is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Farmers Door and principal of Prospect Downs Farming and Black River Beef in north-west Tasmania. 
He brings more than 30 years of hands-on experience across farming, livestock operations, commodity markets and agribusiness development. 

Through Farmers Door, Mark is focused on helping producers retain control of their farm data and use it to create stronger market opportunities, better buyer confidence and greater commercial reward. His practical farming experience underpins Farmers Door’s producer-first approach: turning verified provenance, sustainability and production evidence into trusted market proof that can support premium positioning, audit readiness, consumer trust and long-term value for farming businesses.

Vi Nguyen is Chief Digital Officer and co-founding partner of Farmers Door, and founder and CEO of Ryka Global, an AI and digital consulting firm helping organisations adopt emerging technologies. 

A software engineer by training, Vi has more than 20 years’ experience across start-ups, government, industry and academia in Australia, Sweden and Vietnam. She has held roles with Boston Consulting Group, Macquarie Bank, Volvo Group and the Swedish Space Association. 

Vi has also led the Australia-Pacific region for a European blockchain traceability firm and directed the Australian AgriFood Data Exchange with MLA, FRDC, Australian Wool Innovation, CSIRO and Charles Sturt University. At Farmers Door, Vi leads the digital, AI and traceability strategy.

Michael Coote was appointed AUSVEG Chief Executive Officer in 2021 after having joined the organisation in 2014.  

He is a management professional with experience in the delivery of large-scale transformation, reform and government efficiency initiatives. Michael has a strong focus on grower capability building and market engagement to grow the industry’s trade and viability, and he has consulted across a range of industries and sectors, including state and federal government, not-for-profit organisations and industry associations.

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Lucy has an extensive career in the primary industry and export sector. 
Lucy is responsible for building strong relationships with government and industry, as well as building evidence-based cases that AUSVEG can use to advocate for growers on the issues that are impeding their growth and prosperity.  

Lucy has worked across a range of organisations including State premiers, industry associations and commercial horticultural businesses.  
 

Lucy’s background provides a diverse skill set across a range of issues such as export, sales and marketing, biosecurity, quality assurance, freight and logistics, value adding, health and nutrition, advocacy and policy.
 

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Prior to joining AUSVEG, David spent 13 years at Citrus Australia as the General Manager – Market Development, leading Citrus Australia’s Market Development and Market Access program.

During his time at Citrus Australia, he also had responsibility for agrichemical MRL management, prioritising grower needs in engagements with regulators, agrichemical companies and industry stakeholders, while advocating on market access, and representing the interests of citrus growers in various domestic and international forums. Prior to working for the citrus industry David worked for NSW DPI.

Sally Grew up in a farming family of horticulturists, and after completing an environmental science degree, began her radio experience reading share prices every lunch time at the Melbourne Stock Exchange. It was a means of securing a job with the extensive ABC Rural Network. 

Then began a 3 decade journey reporting for The Country Hour, Rural Report and Landline across NSW, Victoria and Tasmania. For the past 20 years Sally and her husband Chris have been farming cherries and cut flowers in the Coal River Valley, on the South East Irrigation Scheme.

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Georgie is a lamb producer from the Northern Midlands of Tasmania. After studying Agricultural Science at the University of Tasmania, Georgie spent five years working in beef and lamb feedlots in eastern Australia. Georgie then returned to Tasmania and spent several years on her family’s property ‘Eastfield’ where she set up and managed a lamb feedlot. 

She now farms with her husband Richard across several properties based around Campbell Town. The livestock element of the business includes a self replacing composite ewe flock, lamb finishing and trade cattle. 

The cropping and fodder production enterprise includes peas, potatoes, poppies, grass seed, canola seed, carrot seed, beetroot seed and barley. Fodder crops include lucerne, clover, chicory, and several brassicas. 

Georgie was the first producer chair of the Red Meat Updates Working Group and has also previously chaired the SALRC South East Victoria and Tasmania regional committee and is a member of the Tas Farmers Red Meat and Wool Committee.   

Dr Tomas Remenyi is a climate services professional expert at translating complex climate science into useful, accessible products, tools or advice. Tom focuses on meaningful engagement with stakeholders so as to rapidly determine the nexus of where their needs intersect with what known science can actually deliver. 

After delivering more than 80 projects spanning natural hazards, emergency services, tourism, energy, and agriculture, Tom know what works and adds value. Tom has a dynamic mix of science and commerce training that allows him to view both the research and commercial sectors from a perspective that differs from others. 

As a ‘systems thinker’ Tom identifies blockers to positive change and creates practical solutions. After 20 years working in academia, Tom has transitioned into the commercial realm to help be a bridge over the research-commerce divide. 

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