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A unique leadership opportunity for growers.

Combining the development of leadership capability and sound governance skills essential for today's Director, OnBoard presents an unparalleled professional development opportunity, tailor-made for growers. OnBoard now offers an immersive in-person experience, ensuring that participants can fully engage with the content and facilitators.

The OnBoard program was developed by GrainGrowers after recognising the depth of talented growers capable of making significant contributions to the sector, yet low rates of grower applicants for industry boards. The program integrates both hard and soft skills training delivered by expert facilitators and provides full funding for participants to complete governance training through the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD).

OnBoard 2025 will offer participants one of two streams of governance training courses administered by the AICD in addition to the hard- and soft-skills training.

The OnBoard program runs for approximately 6 months depending on the stream and management of schedules.

Closed
Applications are now closed for the 2025 program.
Interviews will take place between 24-27 February 2025.
This will take place 24-26 March 2025 in Sydney.

Foundations for Not-For-Profit Directors

This is a new stream for OnBoard 2025, and is a shorter course that is focused specifically on directorship for not-for-profits.

Required reading hours: Half a day

In-session days: 1.5 days

Achievement following completion: Statement of Attendance

Content Covered:

  • Strategy and Risk (NFP focus)
  • Finance (NFP focus)
  • Duties and Responsibilities of an NFP Director

Benefit for a grower participant

  • Content load manageable within the context of day-to-day life.
  • Covers the specific content outlined as most valuable by previous OnBoard graduates (Risk, Strategy, and Financial Literacy).
  • Pure NFP focus which is useful for growers seeking to exclusively pursue NFP boards.

Read more about the course here.

Company Director’s Course

This in-depth course provides students with a comprehensive understanding of the requirements needed to be an effective director for not-for-profits and other industries.

Required reading hours: 60-80 hours

In-session days: 5 days

Achievement following completion: Post nominals (GAICD)

Content Covered:

  • Governance foundations
  • Legal environment
  • Risk and strategy
  • Financial literacy
  • Achieving board effectiveness (focus on culture and decision-making processes)

Benefit for a grower participant

  • Highly comprehensive course, covering all facets of a directors responsibilities in detail
  • Formal qualification granted at the end of the course in addition to being able to use the post-nominals GAICD.

Read more about the course here.

Meet the 2025 OnBoard participants

Emily Coggan

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Emily Coggan

Emily is a fifth-generation farmer and Chartered Accountant from Inglestone, Queensland. Alongside her family, she operates Coggan Farms, a vertically integrated enterprise consisting of irrigated and dryland cropping, grazing, a multispecies feedlot, and a Meatmaster Stud.

Before returning home, Emily worked at global professional services firm Deloitte, assisting Chief Financial Officers and finance teams to enhance their decision-making capabilities and delivering planning, budgeting, and forecasting (PBF) solutions. In her final role, she led the internal consulting PBF and workforce planning processes, reporting directly to the national Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer.

Emily holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting) and a Bachelor of Economics (Public Policy) from The University of Queensland and has previously completed the AICD Foundations of Directorship Program.

She is actively involved in her community and serves as a Board Director and Vice Chair of Equestrian Queensland. Equally comfortable in the boardroom and paddock, she is committed to ensuring the longevity of Australian agriculture.

Hannah Dabinett

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Hannah Dabinett

Hannah co-owns Longtrail Farms, an aggregation of 10,000 hectares of dryland and irrigated properties in Parilla, South Australia. Employing a team of 25, Hannah is passionate about career development in agriculture and advocating for women in farming.

After completing a Bachelor of Business at Flinders University, she spent 15 years in corporate HR, specialising in employee relations across corporate agriculture, horticulture, oil and gas and aged care.

At Longtrail, Hannah holds a strategic role overseeing finance, governance, and people management. Her farming business is committed to best practice, with a strong focus on sustainable growth.

James Cleaver

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James Cleaver

James is a dynamic leader and solicitor who has degrees in Economics and Law from the University of New England and was admitted to the Supreme Court in 2016. He is a fifth-generation farmer who was raised on his family property near Nyngan, NSW.

James played a pivotal role with the Department of Primary Industries during the 2018-2020 drought and the Black Summer Bushfires, assisting rural families during challenging times. His dedication to rural advocacy led to his recognition as the RAS NSW Rural Ambassador, UNE Alumni Rising Star Award, an NSW Parliament Private Members Statement, NSW Disaster Resilience Award and National Emergency Management Medal, acknowledging his significant contributions to regional communities.

James's commitment to community has seen him address the Governor General, open the Dubbo and Yeoval Shows, and be a guest speaker at numerous events, podcasts, and panels. He has served as a director on the boards of Macquarie Home Stay (2021-2024) and the Robb College Foundation (2021-present).

Monica Armanini

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Monica Armanini

Monica brings over 20 years of experience in communications, agriculture, and strategic planning, offering a diverse skill set to the Australian grains industry. She holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Sydney and postgraduate management qualifications from Macquarie University. Together with her husband, Monica manages a mixed grain and cattle farm in the Riverina.

As Engagement Manager at the Irrigation and Research Extension Committee (IREC), Monica is involved in national research projects such as carbon farming, cool soil initiative, risk management and grain optimisation. She regularly engages with farmers on projects and research needs. Monica is excited to be part of the Onboard Program, eager to further her skills and networks, and contribute her knowledge to the growth of the grains industry through board-level involvement. Additionally, Monica is passionate about encouraging younger generations to pursue careers in farming.

Renée Anderson

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Renée Anderson

Renée is a grain and cotton producer in the Central Highlands, Central Queensland. Her expertise encompasses farming systems research, agronomy, and industry education and advocacy.

Renée is committed to sustainable farming practices and is a Nuffield Scholar whose research focused on social licence, evidence-based best management practices, environmental stewardship, and science communication.

Renée is passionate about upskilling and training the agricultural workforce and previously served as Project Manager for the Rural Jobs and Skills Alliance, Regional Manager for Cotton Australia, and a committee member UQ Agrifoods Innovation Alliance.

Renée also serves on the GrainGrowers National Policy Group as Northern representative, the Nuffield Australia QLD committee, and the Australian Cotton Industry sustainability reference panel.

Additionally, she actively volunteers in her community with the Central Highlands Health board and with a role on the community health education and engagement committee and promotes agriculture in schools and universities with a position on the Central QLD Regional School Industry Partnership program to ensure a sustainable future for the industry.

Ruth Sommerville

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Ruth Sommerville

Ruth is an Agro-Ecologist based in Burra, South Australia, where she runs her consulting business Rufous and Co. Ruth has a Bachelor of Science in Ecology and Masters of Applied Science in Wildlife Management from the University of Sydney and has worked in sustainable agriculture RD&E and property management since 2002.

Prior to moving to South Australia in 2006, she worked across the country in cotton, beef cattle, viticulture, broad acre cropping and rangeland management. Having grown up on a sheep and cropping property in NSW and now farming predominantly wheat, barley and canola with her husband and his family, she is passionate about the agriculture industry and ensuring that it is productive and profitable into the future, whilst working to support a healthy landscape and vibrant communities

She is passionate about supporting farmers and farming systems groups and has been the Upper North Farming Systems Group Executive Officer and Project Manager since 2013. Ruth was the 2018 Agricultural Bureau of SA Sustainable Agriculture Scholarship recipient and the 2018 Ag Excellence Alliance Outstanding Service to Agriculture award winner.

The Problem:

There is no shortage of talented and progressive grain farmers in Australia, many of whom are capable of making significant contributions to the grains industry. However, it can be difficult to attract a competitive Director candidate field for industry positions.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that this is due to growers being time poor, not perceiving themselves as having the experience or skills required to see them successfully appointed to or endorsed for a board position.

The Solution:

GrainGrowers seeks to expand the talent pool of qualified grower director candidates and ensure that we have a strong talent pipeline into the future. OnBoard does this by providing a professional development program that builds the requisite skills for collaborative, progressive and effective governance.

The OnBoard program is structured into three distinct components. Each component is facilitated by a different expert, with the first two modules delivered across three days in Sydney.

Component 1: Honing the Hard Skills (Face to face)
Spanning over the initial three days, this module prepares participants for the board selection process and their inaugural board appointment. Focused areas include crafting a Board CV, interview techniques, applying critical analysis tools, and understanding the responsibilities of a director.

Component 2: Sharpening the Soft Skills (Face-to-Face)
Continuing in the three-day face-to-face format, this module delves into the intangible skills vital for effective board directors, such as influential communication and speaking with authority.

Component 3: Governance Training
Participants will embark on either the AICD’s Company Directors Course, or the AICD Governance Foundations for Not-for-Profit Directors at a time and location of their choosing provided it is within the current financial year to round off their training.

OnBoard provides growers with the means and skills to approach governance in boards, committees and directorships. It includes:

  • The opportunity to complete either the AICD’s Company Director's Course or the AICD Governance Foundations for Not-for-Profit Directors.
  • Hard and soft governance skills.
  • Skills to create engaging CVs for appointments.
  • Knowledge of how to perform in an interview.

The cost to participate is covered by GrainGrowers.

OnBoard provides the pathway to and support for Growers who are entrenched in the industry and would be applying to board or committee positions within the next 12 months. OnBoard is best suited to those who are:

  • Currently a grain grower or involved actively in the grain industry.
  • Keen to enhance their grains industry leadership and advocacy skillsets.
  • Want to develop personal and professional skills, networks, and leadership knowledge.
  • An Australian citizen.

GrainGrowers will ensure that our programs continue to incorporate every member's perspective and experience. We never discriminate on the basis of race, religion, national origin, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, marital or disability status. GrainGrowers is committed to providing accommodations to all individuals in the application process and while participating in our development programs.