Elke Cleverdon

Elke was elected to the Board of Hort Innovation in November 2022. She brings over 25 years of leadership experience across horticulture, agriculture, banking, and public health, with a strong focus on financial oversight, strategic risk management, and good governance.

Elke has deep connections to horticulture through her work with growers across regional NSW, supporting innovation, sustainability, and business model transformation across a range of commodities. As a rural financial coach and long-time producer, she brings a grower’s perspective grounded in practical experience and commercial insight. Since 1993, she has jointly owned and operated a broadacre mixed-farming enterprise in Harden, NSW, with exposure to both dryland cropping and irrigated horticulture systems.

Elke contributes significant audit and risk expertise through her roles as Chair of Audit & Risk Committees and former CFO of a regional mutual bank. Her 16-year banking executive career and 8 years of advisory experience in agricultural finance underpin her strategic contribution to the financial stewardship of Hort Innovation.

In addition to her role with Hort Innovation, Elke serves as a non-executive director of Cattle Australia, Murrumbidgee Local Health District (NSW Health), and SWS Bank.

She is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, a Fellow of CPA Australia, and holds a Master of Business Administration. A committed advocate for inclusive leadership, Elke actively mentors emerging leaders through agricultural leadership and capacity-building programs, helping to foster the next generation of innovators in the sector.