Farm Tender

CBH announce Growing Leaders Scholarships

CBH Group, in partnership with Grower Group Alliance (GGA) and Leadership WA, is pleased to announce the 2019 Growing Leaders Scholarship has opened for applications.

Launched last year, the Scholarship was designed to develop the future leaders of the Western Australian grain industry and grow the pool of growers ready to take on leadership positions in the industry and even at CBH.

CBH General Manager Grower and External Affairs Brianna Peake said the Scholarship program is an extension of the co-operative’s commitment to building leadership capacity within our regional communities.

“It’s incredibly important that we have strong leaders in our communities and industry and CBH is very proud to help foster leadership growth,” Ms Peake said.

“We’re pleased to offer the scholarship program for a second consecutive year, and I’m looking forward to seeing the successful applicants continue to build their leadership skills.”  

A total of three scholarships, valued at up to $15,000 each, are available. It includes two scholarships in Leadership WA’s six-month Rising Leaders program, and one scholarship for more progressed leaders in Leadership WA’s 10-month Signature Leaders program.

Niki Curtis was a successful recipient of the Signature leaders Program in the last year’s inaugural Growing Leaders Scholarship Program.

“In regional WA, we have many wonderful and passionate leaders in our communities and sometimes we all take on our roles without having any training and we just give things a go based on gut instinct,” she said.

“This program provides time to reflect on who we are and how we do things. As agriculture continues to develop as an industry, it’s critical the leadership potential of people is supported to ensure we have a clear purpose and direction so we can continue to remain competitive in global and domestic markets.”

She said she would recommend the program to anyone considering leadership skills development – especially in regional areas that are often under-resourced and rely on communities to drive and implement change.

GGA Executive Officer Annabelle Bushell said developing leadership skills was vital to ensure the long term sustainability and success within the grower group and extension network.

“Grower groups play a critical role in regional communities and the agriculture industry – from being an incubation hub for new farming techniques to their importance as a connection point in local communities,” she said.

“The Growing Leaders Scholarship program is a fantastic opportunity to build the leadership potential in our industry and develop skills that can be used to ensure we continue to have a sustainable & strong group network in WA that supports a profitable agriculture industry.”

Leadership WA Chief Executive Officer Dominique Mecoy said she’s proud to work with CBH and GGA in fostering leadership skills across regional communities and the agriculture industry.

“Developing leadership skills across all regions and industries of Western Australia is absolutely critical to ensuring the state can not only meet the challenges of the 21st century, but capitalise on them,” Ms Mecoy said.

“By fostering our leaders in regional communities through the experiential learning experiences on our programs, the Growing Leaders Scholarship will empower sustainable decision making that benefits everyone.”

Applications close on 29 June 2018 for scholarships starting in 2019. For more information on how to apply, please visit www.cbh.com.au/growingleadersscholarship