Read about some of the speakers joining us at the Inspire Summit 2023

Bronson Gledhill

Farm Business Consultant | Planfarm

Bronson is an accomplished farm business consultant with a passion for innovation in agriculture. He has developed a deep understanding of the horticultural industry in Western Australia and a reputation for delivering growers with a deeper understanding of their businesses’ financials and how it applies at a paddock level.

Bronson is widely recognised as a thought leader in the relatively new world of horticultural business consulting, having led the Building Horticultural Business Capacity Project. He has been featured in a range of renowned grower publications and panel events throughout the country.

During his time at Planfarm, Bronson has demonstrated an exceptional ability to develop financial tools and models, leading Vegetables WA, Pome West, Hort Innovation and DPIRD to now attain 6 years of financial and production benchmark data.

As a panelist at Inspire Summit 2023, Bronson will share his knowledge gained through work in both the horticulture and broadacre industries, drawing on his extensive experience and unique insights. Attendees can expect to engage in discussion and apply Bronson's knowledge to their own endeavours.

Bronson's commitment to the agricultural industry and work within some exciting niches make him a unique and insightful panelist for Inspire Summit 2023.

Brad Millsteed

#6Bs

When the #6Bs formed, in 2017, the statistics told us that on average there was 8 Australians losing their life to suicide a day, and 6 of those were blokes. It gave an extra connection to the #6Bs, they represented the 6 Aussie blokes who just couldn’t fight the demons anymore. Unfortunately, this stat has now grown. We are losing 9 Australians daily now, with 7 being blokes.

The isolation that so many of us feel is real. The pressure placed onto the modern man is higher than ever before. Yes, many of us do not have the physical hardships that previous generations have had, but the perception of expectation put on us from so many different levels does mount up.

So, the opportunity to provide a place and platform for blokes to catch up and chat informally, with no program or agenda, I believe is so important for us all and very meaningful and needed.

This time for blokes to reconnect with themselves and each other, will make them better blokes to be around.

Jennifer West

Jennifer is passionate about natural farming systems and putting carbon back into agricultural soils. She has solid knowledge of the emerging carbon market and the opportunities it presents for farmers. Jennifer's particular area of focus is soil carbon project methodologies and farm management practices which can help restore Australia’s much-depleted soil carbon levels.

Experienced in broadacre farming, natural resource management administration, business management and journalism/communications, Jennifer has developed a large and diverse network of contacts during her career. Her most recent focus on soil health and carbon farming has inspired the launch of Carbon West - a company focused on working with farmers to improve financial and agronomic outcomes, and bring about positive social and environmental change. She is passionate about the need for farmers to be well informed and thus empowered to participate in the carbon market on their own terms and the Carbon West business model offers a simple, fee-for-service model which gives landholders full control, flexibility and ownership of 100% of carbon credits earned.

Jennifer believes adoption of agricultural practices which foster the sequestration of carbon in soil will improve food quality, ecosystem health and long-term viability of farming in Australia.

With a ‘big picture’ view of agribusiness and the fast-growing carbon market, Jennifer is well-placed to educate, advise and manage carbon market opportunities for Australian agribusinesses.

Stuart Wesley

As a young man, working in the family glass and aluminum window business, Stuart knew his future was working with people, supporting the growth and development of others. This led him towards a first vocation in pastoral ministry where his gifts and abilities in public speaking, coaching and leadership were able to shine. In this role he was involved in national leadership of his denomination as well as being part of commencing and leading new faith communities. Eventually the desire to be involved in the broader community led Stuart on a journey to reframe his vocation in a way that was commercially appealing.

Formal university level learning followed by specific training in coaching and organisational development provided a rigorous foundation for Stuart to commence consulting with businesses and schools around the idea that “human interaction is a core business process”. It was at this point that Stuart’s early background in family business and passion for supporting the growth and development of others came together in a convergence that was deeply fulfilling.

Having experienced the highs and lows of watching his parents navigate family business and having built up his skill set understanding human dynamics, Stuart found his niche.

Whilst working with any kind of organisation is rewarding, the joy of helping family enterprises succeed commercially AND be able to experience rich family relationships became his focal point.

Together with his wife Carolyn, Stuart enjoys a rich family life consisting of four adult children and a growing band of grandchildren.

Katelyn Lubcke

Project Manager | Meat & Livestock Australia

Katelyn is MLA’s Environmental Markets Project manager within the on-farm sustainability team. She has strong ties to the livestock industry from her family’s mixed sheep and grains property in the wheatbelt region of Western Australia. Katelyn has 8 years’ of experience in the livestock industry in both the research and commercial sectors. Katelyn is passionate about connecting red meat and livestock producers to the science that enables productivity and profitability gains alongside environmental stewardship. Katelyn’s portfolio covers sustainability on and off-farm projects delivering supply chain mechanisms to capture value for producers who conduct environmental services.

Will Alston

Will Alston was raised on a sheep and cattle station in the West Pilbara and spent many years working in primary industry before setting his sights on a career in the resource industry. After starting off in the Goldfields, he returned to the Pilbara to initially manage heritage and native title field logistics for Fortescue Metals Group before moving into leadership roles supporting Aboriginal employment and development over the course of 13 years.

In 2017, Will jumped at an opportunity to return to an Agri-related role with Harvest Road Group, where he has spent the last five years managing stakeholder relations and spearheading initiatives to support broader participation in primary industries.

Will is passionate about creating a diverse and culturally safe workplace that empowers people to bring their whole self to work and supports them to grow and develop their careers and is excited for the opportunities that innovations and collaborations present to improve diversity equity and inclusion across the Ag and Ag-related industry.

Andrew Lockyer

In 1986, the West Coast Eagles were formed and Andrew was chosen as one of the original 35 West Coast Eagles players. He went on to play 78 games VFL/AFL games and represented the club in the 1991 Grand Final. Unfortunately, an early season injury in 1992 prevented Andrew from being part of the “Unfinished Business” side that went on to win the club’s first premiership in that year.

Andrew retired from playing football in 1996, having played in a total of five Grand Finals, being a three-time WAFL Premiership player, and also being one of only a few East Fremantle players to score 100 goals in a single season.

Following his playing career, Andrew began a coaching career. Andrew received the JJ Lennard medal in 2006 after being named WAFL coach of the year.

When Cyclone Seroja hit the Midwest, particularly Northampton and Kalbarri in 2021, Andrew was instrumental in bringing together all past and current AFL players who originated from his beloved home town and formed what is known as the AFL RAMS.

Together, they embarked on a journey to raise funds for the communities impacted by the cyclone and to aid in their rebuilding. The AFL RAMS primary goal is to raise funds and initiate projects to benefit the community and its spirit. This has already proven to be a tremendous support to the community and one that Andrew feels extremely passionate about and continues to work on.

Dr Natasha Teakle

Managing Director | AgriStart Pty Ltd

Tash is experienced in business strategy, commercialisation, innovation and is passionate about sustainable primary industries and new technology. She comes from a WA farming family and spent 8 years as an agricultural researcher and lecturer at the University of Western Australia, University of Glasgow, University of Southern California and University of Sydney.

Tash has led AgriStart for the last 7 years, helping hundreds of startups across regional Australia. She is also a part-time Regional WA Facilitator for Accelerating Commercialisation, part of the Federal Government Entrepreneurs’ Programme. Tash has a PhD in Plant Biology and a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture (1st Class Hons), and has qualifications in university teaching, research commercialisation, leadership and corporate governance (graduate of the AICD).

She holds several board, advisory and volunteer roles including with Busselton Jetty Inc, Carbon Conscious Investments, South West Angels, and has been on the judging panel for the WA Innovator of the Year awards since 2015.

Bourby Webster

Chief Rule-Breaker & Game Changer | Get Things Done Director

Bourby Webster is a CEO, music promoter, creative director, violinist, entrepreneur, educator, presenter, and producer. Bourby founded the Perth Symphony Orchestra, the orchestra that makes the rules and has a mission of ‘Music for Everyone’ and, at the point of her departure in December 2022 is one of the State’s largest and fastest growing arts companies.

Bourby is Director of North Street Music, a promotion, production, and artist development company, and is also a successful business consultant through North Street Consulting, specialising in strategic business development for major technical and service industries.

Bourby is a passionate advocate for women and regional communities. The ‘Women on the Podium’ program Bourby created in 2019 through Perth Symphony is unique in the Southern Hemisphere and is developing female conductors, currently only 5% of the global conducting faculty. Women now represent up to a staggering 50% of professional conducting appointments in Western Australia. She splits her time between Coondle, in regional Western Australia, and Fremantle, Perth, and is developing a number of arts programs for her community.

In 2022 she was named in Business News’ Power 500 list and has been a winner of a Business News 40 Under 40 award for Entrepreneurs and a finalist in the Telstra Businesswoman of the Year Awards (WA).

In 2019 she was named Western Australian of the Year (Arts & Culture).

Louise O'Neill

Farm Life Fitness

Farm Life Fitness founder Louise O’Neill is more than just a health and wellness strategist – she’s also a farmer. Playing a role in farm management with her husband and two young boys, Louise lives and breathes the agricultural lifestyle. And she understands the challenges to health and wellness that farming and living rurally can present.

Louise, and her husband, warren have faced their own mental health challenges in farming. Therefore, FLF is a business built on research and knowledge but also empathy and experience.
Too many people in agriculture suffer due to the false belief that farming must be an all-consuming, 24/7 job. Louise is challenging the conventions preventing people in agriculture from having a happier, healthier, and more productive farming lifestyle.

Farm Life Fitness is helping farming families, rural communities, and businesses create a healthier, more sustainable future in agriculture through speaking, education, community building, one-on-one coaching, and fitness programs available live and online.

Louise was recognised for her work and advocacy for the need to improve the mental and physical wellness of those that chose to live or work rurally by winning the 2022 State Agrifutures Rural Women’s award.

Dee Roche

Dee Roche Leadership Development Consultancy

Dee is a Senior Management Consultant and has been facilitating, public speaking, teaching and working with groups for over 25 years within private, public and community-based organisations. Specific experience spanning the areas of Strategic Leadership and Management Development, Organisational Change and Transformation; Governance; and Building High Performance Teams that focus on Values.

Dee is a Teaching Fellow at the University of Western Australia Business School on the Master of Business Administration (MBA) Program, focusing on Strategic Change and Transformation; and is the 2022 & 2013 Winner and 2014, 2015, 2016 & 2018 Nominee of the University of Western Australia Excellence in Teaching Award; 2014 Winner UWA Excellence in Teaching and Research Awards (Program Award); and 2014 Nominee for the Western Australian Women’s Hall of Fame.

Nathan Cattle

Managing Director | Clear Grain Exchange

Nathan is passionate about Australian grain and helping to create a more efficient and secure market. He proudly originates from a farm in Lake King Western Australia and has since ventured on a career that includes advisory, trading, analytics and operating markets in Australian grain.