Ceres, the women in agri-business network, will host a breakfast event ‘Striking the gender balance in Irish agri-food’ in the Killashee Hotel, Naas, on Tuesday, February 25, at 7:30am.
The event will feature an interactive panel discussion with John Jordan, CEO, Ornua; Sinéad McPhillips, assistant secretary general, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine; and Dr. Monica Gorman, lecturer in agricultural extension and innovation in University College Dublin’s (UCD’s) school of agriculture and food science.
The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine’s lead on the national women and girls’ strategy, Sinéad McPhillips, will offer a perspective on how decision-making needs to change at every level in order to change society.
Dr. Monica Gorman will discuss how the next generation of graduates entering the agri-food sector will have raised expectations for greater diversity and equality in their careers and family care roles.
New Ceres chair
Late last year, Roberta McDonald, sustainable solutions lead with Devenish, commenced the role of chair of the Ceres network.
“We are delighted to be bringing together a strong panel of industry experts to discuss and share their experiences of the benefits of gender balance for the greater good of the Irish agri-food industry,” she said.
Our event offers dynamic networking and knowledge sharing opportunities to empower people to take their own steps towards ‘striking the balance’ and we would encourage anyone working within the industry to attend.
Prior to her current role in Devenish, Roberta created the farm profitability programme and sustainability framework at Aurivo where she worked for five years. She was awarded a Nuffield scholarship in 2016 where she studied the topic ‘innovative disruption of farmer development programmes’.
Roberta is a board member of Nuffield Ireland, founding member of the Ceres Network and council member of the Agricultural Science Association (ASA). Holding an honours degree in animal science from UCD, she completed a PhD on decision-making and behaviour change among new entrant dairy farmers with UCD and Teagasc Moorepark.
Diverse thinking
Ceres, the women in agri-business leadership network, was founded to develop and promote leadership and diverse thinking within the industry.
Through the delivery of a range of dynamic, engaging and thought-provoking events, the network aims to provide a platform for knowledge sharing, collaboration and peer support.
The group was founded by 10 leading female professionals from diverse backgrounds within the sector including academia, consulting and agri-business. Ceres events are open to everyone with an interest in critical thinking and leadership in Irish agri-business.
Tickets for the breakfast event are available to purchase for €25 on: www.ceresnetwork.eventbrite.ie.