Community was the topic of conversation at the Warrnambool Women in Focus (IWD) event on 11 March, uniting over 200 regional women from Victoria’s south-west to celebrate their contribution to business, industry, family and
the community.
Australian Dairy Farmers (ADF) CEO and keynote speaker, Natalie Collard shared her agri-business professional experience on leadership, work-life balance,
personal wellbeing and the ability to consider the bigger picture.
“Women in dairy wear so many different hats. From the farm gate to the processing plant, all the way to the ADF office – right across our value-chain women
are contributing to building a stronger, more sustainable future for our industry,” Ms Collard said.
Ms Collard also explored the importance of goal-setting as her “biggest secret”. Referencing a Harvard University MBA graduate program research study,
Ms Collard shared that three per cent of the graduate year which had clear, written goals and plans to accomplish them, 10 years later were earning
on average 10 times as much as the other 97 per cent of the class put together.
“I set career, personal and wellbeing goals for one, five and 10 years ahead. It is a one-pager that sits on my bedside table… By writing your goals
down and affirming them, you’re holding yourself accountable,” Ms Collard explained.
“Goal-setting is not just about earnings, but it really does underscore the power of setting goals as your first step to accomplishing them.”
The IWD Event, hosted by CommBank Women in Focus and LEGENDAIRY South-West Vic Women’s Focus Group, provided a valuable networking opportunity and chance to obtain practical tips for regional women and their businesses.
WestVic Dairy Director, Kirsti Keightley and Operations Manager, Jocelyn Bevin said the day was about bringing together like-minded women within varied
leadership positions in the industry.
“It’s important to highlight and focus on the skills and opportunities that can be brought to the dairy industry and wider community,” Ms Keightley said.
“It’s also vital to support our next generation of women in dairying through sharing our knowledge and experiences, which I hope today’s community theme
encapsulated.”
LEGENDAIRY women (L-R): Katie Gleeson, Simone Renyard, Bilyana Grazing, Natalie Collard, Janet Moxey and Tracey Luhras.