GPSA CEO Darren Arney is one of two grains industry professionals from the southern cropping region to be accepted into the Australian Rural Leadership Program with sponsorship from the GRDC.
Mr Arney and Denise McLellan from Horsham, Vic, will next month embark on their ARLP leadership development experience.
The ARLP is the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation’s flagship program, and it has been developing leaders for the future of rural and regional Australia for more than 20 years.
One of those leaders is GRDC Southern Regional Panel member Susan Findlay Tickner, who undertook the ARLP for established leaders program in 2008-09.
And just as she did, Mrs Findlay Tickner expects Ms McLellan and Mr Arney will reap enormous benefits from the program.
"This program is a terrific vehicle for our industry to develop the next cohort of leaders that will take us forward," Mrs Findlay Tickner said.
"Denise and Darren will have access to the captains of industry from across the agricultural sector, enabling the grains industry to learn from the success of others.
"The ARLP is viewed as a type of feeder program into leadership roles and in some ways it is a quasi-succession planning device for our current crop of leaders."
An agronomist by trade, former bank manager, grain marketing and farm business consultant, Mr Arney from Nairne is now the CEO of Grain Producers SA and will use the ARLP for established leaders program to better prosecute and advocate for the needs of SA grain growers with government and industry.
"Coming out of agronomy and banking I have a very corporate and risk-focused approach to my work," he said.
"This continues to be beneficial for grain growers however I’m still honing my influencing skills. In my role it’s important to have a vision and to bring people along with you. So I think the communications skills I’ll develop will help deliver results for SA growers.
"The course will also help with my community work providing farmers with support around the complex between farming and mining. Additionally, it will help me develop skills to assist farmers with mental health issues, an area I’ve been involved with for around 10 years.”
The ARLP program, accredited by James Cook University, covers the gamut of essential leadership traits and skills development such as ethics, values, personal effectiveness, critical thinking, social responsibility, private sector, community and regional engagement.
The program runs for 59 days, and is delivered in six sessions over 17 months.
Five of these sessions take place in locations across Australia, with one component held overseas.
Applications for ARLP Course 23 will open again on April 30.