Tauranga's Midge Munro has been awarded a bursary to attend the 2016 PMA Emerging Leaders Programme, to be held in Arizona, USA.

This bursary has been supported by Horticulture Innovation Australia, PMA Australia-New Zealand Limited and Nuffield Australia for a young emerging leader from the horticultural industry.

Midge Munro is delighted to be awarded a bursary to attend 2016 PMA Emerging Leaders Programme.

The New Zealand Avocado communications manager's career with New Zealand Avocado, the peak body for the export of avocados from New Zealand, spans seven years.

She sets the strategy for the delivery of information to the industry's 1350 growers, and works with marketers and exporters to promote avocados to consumers in New Zealand, Australia and Asia.

Midge s delighted to have been selected as the inaugural recipient of this AUD $8,000 bursary.

"I see my participation in the programme as an exciting opportunity to learn, engage, collaborate and build my own capability to perform and deliver real value in the horticulture industry.

'The demands on my role have increased following the establishment of the Primary Growth Partnership, the ongoing work to gain access to China for New Zealand avocados and increasing consumer demands for safer and healthier food,” she says.

'The global networking and engagement offered by the programme, the opportunity to understand finance and the real demands of managing a business will be extremely valuable and enable me to provide greater support to the growers and exporters I work with.”

Midge aspires to be a highly capable leader in the produce industry, which she is passionate about.

'I believe that the PMA Emerging Leaders Programme will provide the step change I need to set that pathway in place.”

The PMA Foundation Emerging Leaders Programme is a multifaceted, rigorous programme for 36 potential leaders from all segments of the global produce and floral supply chain to embrace responsibility and manage the challenges and opportunities inherent in future leadership roles within the industry.

The programme includes a four-day 'on campus” component, online modules and a capstone course at PMA's Fresh Summit, a primary platform for connecting with the horticultural supply chain.