Hort Innovation 2025 Annual General Meeting 

 

This year, Hort Innovation’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held virtually on Friday, 28 November 2025 at 12.00pm (AEDT) Sydney.

Please note the start time in other time zones:

9.00am (AWST) Perth
11.00am (AEST) Brisbane
11.30am (ACDT) Adelaide 

Join the 2025 AGM by using the following platform https://meetings.openbriefing.com/HORTAGM25 or join by telephone. Refer to the Notice of Meeting for full details, or contact Lee Armson via email membership@horticulture.com.au or call 02 8249 3709.

 

Notice of Meeting 2025

 

 

View the Notice of Meeting

 

Video: AGM Candidate spotlight

 

 

Candidates standing for Director election

Julie Bird

Biography

Julie Bird is current Chair of the Hort Innovation Board, a position she has held since 2020 after first being elected as a Director in 2018 and re-elected in 2021.

An experienced agribusiness leader and Non-Executive Director, Julie brings more than 30 years of experience across Australian horticulture, with expertise spanning nuts, summerfruit, citrus, apples and pears. She also serves as a Non-Executive Director of the Cotton Research & Development Corporation and Grain Producers SA. Since 2012 she has been business owner of ‘Say It With Flowers’ a retail florist based in Malvern, Victoria.

Julie’s prior leadership roles include CEO of the Almond Board of Australia and Manager of Quality Fruit Marketing, as well as Board positions with Plant Health Australia, United Almonds Limited, and the Australian Nut Industry Council. She has held independent chair positions with Australian Seafood Industries, the Apple and Pear Industry Advisory Committee, and the South Australian Apiary Industry Advisory Group. Julie brings a strong background in governance and finance, complemented by practical industry knowledge and experience in marketing, biosecurity and stakeholder engagement.

Julie is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors Course, holds a Master of Business Administration (Executive) and a Bachelor of Teaching.

Candidate statement

I have been privileged to serve as Hort Innovation Chair for the past five years.

During this time, I have guided the organisation through a significant period of transformational change, with a dedicated focus on strengthening governance, enhancing transparency and engagement with industry – ensuring growers’ voices are central to decision-making. I am seeking re-election for a further term to continue embedding these improvements, intended to deliver lasting value for growers.

I bring strong governance and financial expertise, combined with practical industry knowledge and a demonstrated track record of representing grower interests at a national level. Throughout my career I have worked across a breadth of horticulture and agriculture – from industry representation, domestic and export marketing to biosecurity, food safety and quality assurance. This diverse experience provides me with genuine insight into both the opportunities and complex challenges facing Australian horticulture growers. As a small business owner for the past 13 years, I also understand firsthand the operational and financial pressures that impact profitability.

If re-elected, I will continue to champion investments that deliver direct, on-farm benefits — while driving innovation, strengthening engagement, and building new market opportunities to support a sustainable and profitable future for Australian horticulture growers.

Jan Vydra

Biography

Jan was appointed to the Hort Innovation Board in 2019 and elected to the Board in 2022.

Jan is a dynamic leader in Australia’s agribusinessand ag-tech sectors. A first generation farmer, he co-founded one of the country’s leading fresh herb businesses in 2008, where his drive for innovation and sustainability sparked a deep interest in technology-enabled agriculture. Building on this foundation, Jan transitioned from traditional farming to ag-tech entrepreneurship, focussing on advancing controlled-environment agriculture and scalable food production systems.

He is currently Chief Commercial Officer of YieldX, an Australian ag-tech company developing globally patented technology that improves crop density and productivity in protected cropping systems.

Jan’s leadership has been widely recognised: he was named Australian Young Farmer of the Year; received the Rabobank Emerging Leader Award in 2016 and was awarded a prestigious Nuffield Scholarship.

Jan is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Candidate statement

Horticulture needs Directors who bring commercial discipline, bold innovation, resilience and a clear commitment to growers. I am seeking your support for re-election to the Hort Innovation Board to continue that focus. Throughout my career I have pioneered new approaches in horticulture and technology that lift productivity, reduce costs, and strengthen viability. On the board, I have worked to ensure that same spirit of innovation is directly connected to grower outcomes.

During my two terms I have contributed to a grower-first reset of the organisation. I was one of three directors appointed to the CEO recruitment panel, overseeing a process that delivered strong new leadership. I also assisted in the succession of the Company Secretary and worked with the board and management to embed an industry-focused strategy that is practical and outcomes-driven. These steps have strengthened Hort Innovation’s leadership, governance, and alignment with grower priorities.

As a Director, I have served on the Audit & Risk, Investment, and People & Culture Committees, advocating for stronger risk management, clearer portfolio choices, and capability that accelerates delivery. This complements my professional career, where I have built and scaled horticulture businesses, commercialised farm technology, and led global market development in controlled-environment agriculture.

Looking ahead, as current Audit & Risk Chair I am committed to completing the transformation of Hort Innovation’s RDC investment system into a best-in-class approach that delivers measurable grower impact. I will continue to bring independence, energy, and commercial industry focus to every decision.

Theodora Elia-Adams

Biography

Theodora Elia-Adams is an experienced Non-Executive Director and Chair of Audit, Risk, and Finance Committees, having served both commercial and member-based organisations for over 8 years. She is a Chartered Accountant and former senior Partner at Ernst & Young (EY), and has deep expertise in financial governance, investment analysis, and audit – complemented by current board leadership roles across a range of sectors including agriculture. She currently serves as Non-Executive Director and Chair of Audit, Risk, and Finance for AUSVEG, the peak national body representing Australia’s vegetable growers.

Theodora holds Bachelor of Commerce and Master of Taxation degrees, is a Chartered Accountant and a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. 

Should Theodora be elected as a Director of Hort Innovation, she will step down from her role on the Board of AUSVEG.

Candidate statement

I am standing for election to the Hort Innovation Board because I want to make sure grower levies deliver real value on farm. Growers face big challenges – labour shortages, rising costs, and climate pressures — but also new opportunities in innovation, sustainability, and global markets. I want to make sure your levies are used wisely to tackle these priorities and strengthen the future of Australian horticulture.

I’ve spent several years as a Non-Executive Director of AUSVEG, where I’ve worked closely with growers and industry leaders. This has given me a clear understanding of the issues growers face every day. I also bring an accounting background and experience as Chair of an Audit, Risk and Finance Committee. That means I know how to safeguard levy funds, manage risk, and make sure levy funds are invested transparently and deliver maximum value.

If elected, I will focus on three things:

• Making sure levy funds deliver strong, measurable returns to growers
• Driving adoption of research so innovation works in practice, not just on paper
• Ensuring grower voices are heard and reflected in decisions.

I believe in a strong, profitable, and resilient horticulture industry. With your support, I will work hard to deliver trust, accountability, and outcomes that benefit all growers.

Lynn Smart

Biography

Lynn is an experienced Board Chair, Finance, Audit and Risk Committee Chair, Culture, People and Safety Committee Chair, Digital Committee Chair and Remuneration and Governance Committee Chair, with 14 years’ experience as a Non-Executive Director (NED) across government-owned, large private groups and the non-profit sector. Her professional career as an accountant and relevant qualifications support her Board experience.

She currently serves on two Boards, and a recent NED role includes five years on the Board of North Queensland Bulk Ports Ltd (NQBP), a Queensland State-owned Marine Port Corporation responsible for safe and efficient port operations of four diverse Queensland marine ports. This includes the Port of Mackay which has export trade of agricultural commodities such as wheat and sugar contributing significant gross state product and important to Queensland trade and investment.

Previous relevant NED roles include five years as Independent Chair of the Zarraffas Coffee Group, a large private group of companies including an Australian network of coffee franchisees and other value chain businesses.

Lynn holds Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting) and Master of Business Administration degrees, is a member of CPA Australia, and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Candidate statement

I am a well-rounded Non-Executive Director aware of emerging risks impacting organisations and the importance of a positive organisational culture and safe workplace. With over 14 years’ experience my two current board appointments are with a private group of companies (end-to-end manufacturing, marine and mining dredging) and as the independent chair of a non-profit organisation (inclusive employment services).

Prior Board appointments relevant to Hort Innovation include being Board Chair of a privately owned national coffee franchisor with governance oversight across a supply chain of international growers, roastery operations and franchisee engagement (including marketing fund management). Another prior appointment was on a water irrigation scheme Board providing oversight on the long-term strategic irrigation requirements of (mainly) sugarcane growers and millers. Previously I was a Director and Committee Chair at four of Queensland’s marine ports which included export trade in sugar and wheat.

My role as a Director is informed by my substantive accounting profession of over 30 years in start-ups, high growth, private and public companies across a broad range of industries including agribusiness, QSR and FMCG. In accounting roles I developed commercial acumen to enable long-term value creation, finance and investment analysis, forecasting and strategic planning. I have substantial experience in the preparation of financial statements in line with Australian accounting standards.

My unique value to Hort Innovation would be to bring my collective Board governance, financial and commercial acumen, industry and stakeholder engagement experience. I would take the time to develop a practical understanding of Hort Innovation growers and Member industries, requirements of the government funder and build respectful relationships with fellow Directors and management.