Syngenta Growth Awards Regional Winners announced

The future of agriculture in Australia and New Zealand is in sound hands, according to Syngenta Managing Director and Country Head ANZ, Paul Luxton. He today announced the regional winners of this year's Syngenta Growth Awards. The awards recognise growers, advisers and innovators for their contribution to the industry.

Regional winners progress to finals

The 23 Regional Winners were selected from a list of impressive nominations. They will now progress to the final stage of judging, decided by a panel of independent industry specialists.

The regional winners will gather in Sydney later in the year for the National Gala Dinner. National Winners will be awarded in each category. Winners will also participate in a series of business workshops prior to the gala on agtech advancements and sustainable farming to extend their skillset.

Award categories

The Syngenta Growth Awards program was launched in 2014 with three categories:

Productivity
Sustainability
Community & People

An Innovator category was added in 2020.

Celebrating industry excellence

"We had an incredibly strong pool of nominees this year. This reflects the huge amount of talent, commitment and sheer hard work in our industry," Mr Luxton says.

"Choosing regional finalists was a difficult task – as it always is. But it's such an honour to recognise individuals who are leading the way through exemplary practice, innovation, collaboration and passion for the industry."

"The list of Regional Winners covers a broad range of careers, locations and achievements. Excellence can be found everywhere in this diverse sector."

Mr Luxton says the impact of the awards program goes beyond the award winners.

"While we're celebrating individual achievement with this program, we are also seeking to empower regional and agricultural communities. These communities are sometimes undervalued and underestimated. Our agriculture industry is world class and deserves its time in the spotlight."

National winners and study tour

The National Winners in each of the four categories will be offered the opportunity to attend an international study tour next year. They will also join an alumni of previous winners, who remain connected and continue to add value to their communities.

Supporting global sustainability

The Syngenta Growth Awards supports the goals of Syngenta's four ambitious global sustainability commitments. These aim to reduce agriculture's carbon footprint and help farmers deal with the extreme weather patterns caused by climate change.

The four commitments include:

Accelerating Syngenta's innovations to provide solutions for farmers
Striving for carbon neutral agriculture
Partnering with stakeholders across industries for impact
Helping people stay safe and healthy by training eight million farm workers and striving for fair labour across their entire supply chain

The regional winners

Innovator Category

Clayton Donovan, Rocklea, Queensland
Nick Bloor, Varsity Lakes, Queensland
Fiona & Liam Mann, Eradu, Western Australia

Community and People Category

Allan & Nell Dawson, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand - Grower
David Manktelow, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand - Adviser
Cam Conboy, Lake Bolac, Victoria - Adviser
Andrew Gawith, Murtoa, Victoria - Grower

Sustainability Category

James Kahl, Wee Waa, New South Wales - Grower
Rob Long, Moree, New South Wales - Adviser
Hamish Marr, Methven, New Zealand - Grower
Murray Kelly, Christchurch, New Zealand - Adviser
Lawrence DiBella, Ingham, Queensland - Adviser
Nigel Blieschke, Barossa Valley, South Australia - Adviser
Jurie Germishuys, Greater Adelaide, South Australia - Grower

ENDs

Learn more about this year's Syngenta Growth Awards here.

For more information or for an interview, please contact:

Ms Jaelle Bajada
0438 396 154
jaelle.bajada@syngenta.com

^{Syngenta is a leading agriculture company helping to improve global food security by enabling millions of farmers to make better use of available resources. Through world class science and innovative crop solutions, our 28,000 people in over 90 countries are working to transform how crops are grown. We are committed to drive positive change in agriculture and embed sustainability across all aspects of our business.}