Story provided by Dr Stanley Chen, Research Project Manager – Agrifutures Consortium
Like previous years, the Consortium, together with Poultry Hub Australia and the APSS Committee, hosted another successful Monday Morning Meet & Greet ahead of the formal APSS program. The session aimed to foster connections between the next generation of the poultry workforce and industry and academic professionals.
A total of 64 participants attended the session, which was structured across three segments. The first segment was a networking Meet & Greet where participants introduced themselves and connected within four focus groups as mentors and mentees: 1) nutrition and feed development, 2) gut health and environmental impact, 3) sustainability, welfare and behaviour, and 4) general health, disease, food safety and biosafety.
The second segment featured three invited speakers who shared their career journeys within the poultry industry. Dr Mary Wu, CEO of the Australian Chicken Meat Federation, spoke about the importance of the poultry industry to the Australian economy and shared insights from her career and her perspective on the future of the sector. Dr Nick Rodgers from Ingham’s Enterprises highlighted the range of career opportunities available in the industry through his own career story, while Dr Carla Castro Tabilo from Baiada Poultry reflected on her first year working in industry after university, offering valuable advice for those considering a career in the sector.
The session concluded with a Q&A panel discussion, giving participants the opportunity to ask questions and hear perspectives from five professionals with diverse industry backgrounds. The panel included Prof Aaron Cowieson (dsm-firmenich), Ms Tina Grech (Riverina), Dr Matthew Hilliar (Turosi), Dr Amy Moss (University of New England), and Dr Mark Dunlop (Department of Primary Industries QLD). The discussion generated strong engagement and valuable conversations throughout the session.
