Nominations open for third annual Dairy Woman of the Year

MEDIA RELEASE

23 September 2013

Nominations open for third annual Dairy Woman of the Year

The Dairy Women’s Network and Fonterra announced today that nominations open for the 2014 Dairy Woman of the Year on 1 October.

In its third year, the Award provides the winner with a position on the prestigious Women in Leadership Programme run by Global Women, valued at $25,000. The scholarship is sponsored by Fonterra Milk Supply.

The call for 2014 nominations comes on the heels of Barbara Kuriger’s 19 September graduation from the Global Women programme. Barbara was the inaugural winner of the Award in 2012.

“When I won the award, I knew I had won something amazing, but I didn’t know how amazing. Not only have I gained a wide range of skills, I’ve learned a lot about myself in terms of my purpose, my passions and my ambitions.

“Cementing in my own mind my purpose, for instance, is important as I’m looking at taking on new governance roles.  I will be more discerning than ever before to ensure my purpose, values and personal aspirations match those of the organisations for which I serve,” she explained.

Barbara was the first dairy woman to participate in the course and shared her year-long experience with 20 women from Auckland and four from Wellington.

“I had a wonderful opportunity to spend time with these urban women and through this experience it became very apparent that the rural-urban divide we so often talk about can be boiled down to a lack of communication. Working to bridge this divide and foster better urban-rural connections is definitely something I’m going to work toward achieving,” she said.

Barbara said graduating from the course has given her an appetite to eagerly pursue the next 25 years of her career. She says she wants to do her part to make New Zealand an even better place. She sees herself pursuing her governance career both within and outside the dairy industry. She also plans to coach and mentor others.

The 2013 Dairy Woman of the Year, Justine Kidd, begins her Women in Leadership programme in early 2014.

Dairy Women’s Network chair, Michelle Wilson, said, “The Network celebrates the fact many dairying women earn their stripes by starting at the frontline of their own businesses and community organisations and that leadership experience is attained in many different ways.

“Dairy Woman of the Year nominees do not need to be at the pinnacle of their careers. Nor is a tertiary qualification mandatory. This award is a vehicle to support dairy women who want to achieve more in the industry and turn their aspirations into reality.”

Maury Leyland, Fonterra’s Group Director Strategy said, “It is important to Fonterra to support dairy industry education initiatives that help drive the industry forward and protect its future. Through this award, Fonterra contributes to the future of the New Zealand dairy industry by helping aspiring women leaders expand and develop their skills for the benefit of their businesses, our rural communities and the wider industry.”

Award judges include the Dairy Women’s Network chair and trustee, a representative of DairyNZ, a representative of Fonterra and a representative from Global Women.

Nominations open on 1 October and close on 15 November. The winner will be announced at a gala dinner at the Dairy Women’s Network annual conference on 19 March 2014 in Hamilton.

Nomination forms can be downloaded at the Dairy Women’s Network website: www.dwn.co.nz .

Barbara Kuriger

ENDS

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