AgriTech New Zealand is pleased to announce the appointment of Kylie Horomia and Maria Jose Alvarez to the Executive Council, further supporting the organization's goals.
“As a member-funded organization, we are conscious of having an Executive that brings a wide range of skills, experience, and background to our collective ambition of transforming agriculture globally,” explains Council Chair Kenneth Irons.
“We have taken this opportunity to expand our capabilities. For maximum impact, we chose to appoint two great candidates to one shared voting seat. Each brings solid expertise in complementary areas.”
“Kylie’s communications expertise as well as knowledge of horticulture and Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) sector are assets we are excited to add to the Council, while Maria Jose’s experience in biotech and agritech investment sets us up well to drive our agenda forward.”
Kylie Horomia is the Head of Industry Transformation for global agritech firm WayBeyond. Her role is focused on championing sustainability and advocating for diversity and further educational experiences highlighting the possibilities that agritech has to offer.
“I’m excited to be part of an organization focused on revolution. Agritech is incredibly fast-paced and keeping our members ahead of the game on the global stage is incredibly important. We also look for those champions who can be held up as the gold standard to encourage more young people to become involved,” says Kylie.
Maria Jose Alvarez is an Investment Manager at NZ Growth Capital Partners and founder of a biotech startup applied in the agritech sector. Her mission is to support the commercialization and investment of Kiwi deep-tech companies with high growth potential.
“AgriTechNZ has done fantastic work connecting the ecosystem. When we think about ways to feed the planet, as well as preserving it and making it sustainable for future generations, we are talking largely about deep technologies ingrained in agriculture. I’m pleased I can play a role in an organization that advocates for that,” says Maria Jose.
AgriTechNZ is focused both on the application of new technologies in New Zealand as well as the export of solutions to global food-producing markets.
“These two new appointments recognize New Zealand’s role in a widening range of food systems and the need to connect with global markets and capital,” says Kenneth.
Both appointments are for one year and effective from 8 June 2021.