After securing significant Government funding to further develop food and agribusiness tourism across the greater Sunshine Coast, experienced FMCG marketer Nicole McNaughton has been appointed as CEO of the Food and Agribusiness Network (FAN).
As a passionate advocate for the region’s food and agribusiness industry, Ms McNaughton said she was delighted to be offered the role.
“Since joining FAN in 2018, I have been fortunate to work alongside and gain a deep understanding of the many incredible food, beverage and agri businesses we have across our regions.
“I have worked closely with the team and key stakeholders and together we have been able to secure significant funding to implement plans and programs that have enhanced capabilities, created new opportunities and supported many of our members to scale and grow which makes me incredibly proud, and I am excited to be able to further build on this over the coming years.
“Securing significant funding this year, to showcase and build capability in food and agribusiness tourism and roll out a new accelerator program, is the start of the next incredible journey for our regions. It’s a great example of the work we conduct behind the scenes, where we connect with and work alongside key partners and stakeholders to be the conduit of connections and opportunities for our members and industry.
Working with over 370 members, key partners at all levels of government and leading research institutions we will continue to focus on driving awareness of the collaborative work we do, which will further enhance the reputation of our region’s food and beverage offering,” Ms McNaughton said.
Announcing the appointment, the Chair of FAN, Jacqui Price said, “The FAN Board is delighted to announce the appointment of Nicole as CEO. Nicole has been Acting CEO since late 2022 and has shown tremendous commitment to the role, delivering additional funding for capability programs and seeking out innovative ways to promote the incredible work done by FAN.
“Nicole has been an integral part of the FAN team since 2018 and will be instrumental in developing opportunities for our organisation, members and industry.”
As McNaughton’s announcement was being made, she was talking to Food & Drink Business editor Kim Berry on its live podcast feed from foodpro 2023. They were joined by Ben Gebert, the general manager of Food & Fibre Gippsland.