Former CCA president Howard Smith and last year’s Rising Champion Emily Pullen.

THE Cattle Council of Australia and NAB Agribusiness are now calling for young members of the Australian beef industry to apply for the 2020 NAB Agribusiness Rising Champions Initiative.

Now in its 10th year, the Rising Champions Initiative is an opportunity for young people with a passion for the beef industry to access a network of leading agribusiness and government contacts and boost their personal career development.

Open to beef industry participants aged between 21 and 35 years of age, a finalist from each state and territory will be selected to attend an intensive three-day leadership development workshop in Canberra in August 2019.

The all-expenses paid workshop will give participants the opportunity to meet with industry and government representatives and discuss opportunities and challenges for the Australian beef industry, while developing their professional skills like leadership, communications and media and public speaking.

The national 2020 NAB Agribusiness Beef Industry Rising Champion will be announced at the annual NAB Agribusiness Rising Champion Gala Dinner in Canberra on 14 August 2019.

Cattle Council CEO Margo Andrae said the Rising Champions Initiative aims to empower and support the next generation of advocates within the beef industry, giving them the skills and experience to take on future leaderships roles.

“The Rising Champions program goes beyond just recognising the current skills of young people within the beef industry. It drives their career progression by giving them the tools to harness their passion and actively contribute to the future of our industry,” Ms Andrae said.

NAB Agribusiness Customer Executive Neil Findlay said the National Australia Bank was proud to be involved in this important initiative once again.

“Fostering a pipeline of motivated and well-equipped young leaders is critical to the future success of the beef industry. That’s why we’ve supported the Rising Champions Initiative since its inception in 2010, and why we’re delighted to be supporting the program once again in 2020,” Mr Findlay said.

Applications for the 2020 Rising Champions Initiative will run from Monday, 27 May 2019 – Sunday, 30 June 2019.

The program is supported by gold sponsor NAB Agribusiness, silver sponsor McDonald’s and media sponsor Australian Community Media as well as Cattle Council’s state farming organisations members.

Source: Cattle Council of Australia/NAB. For more information on key dates and how to apply, visit http://www.cattlecouncil.com.au/rising-champions or email programs@cattlecouncil.com.au.