International Women’s Day – meet the women of the Australian Citrus Congress

On March 8, the world observes International Women’s Day – a time to reflect, acknowledge and celebrate the achievements of all women, no matter their background, lifestyle or field of expertise.

The 2025 theme for International Women’s Day is For ALL Women and Girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment.

This year’s theme calls for action that can unlock equal rights, power and opportunities for all and a future where no one is left behind. Central to this vision is empowering the next generation as catalysts for lasting change.

Citrus Australia would like to acknowledge the women of our industry, current and future – from growers, scientists and business professionals, to packers, advocates and supporters.

The 2025 Australian Citrus Congress will graciously host an array of successful and prominent women from the broader horticulture sector – where they will be sharing their insights into global markets, technology, labour, pest management and more.

 

Carol Kong

Carol Kong started with Commonwealth Bank as a summer analyst in 2018. In her current role, Carol analyses and forecasts trends in major international economies to draw implications for our central banks’ policy interest rates and currencies. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce/Economics (Finance, Economics and Financial Economics) and a Bachelor of Economics (Honours) from the University of New South Wales.

Carol works in the Institutional Banking & Markets division of the Commonwealth Bank.  This division is responsible for managing the Group’s relationships with major corporate, institutional and government clients and providing a full range of capital raising, transactional and risk management products and services.

 

Sharon Chapman

Sharon Chapman is the founder of ABC Software – a company specialising in on-farm and packhouse software solutions. Raised on an orchard in New Zealand’s fruit bowl of Hawke’s Bay, Sharon pursued a career in IT and founded ABC Software almost 30 years ago.  Sharon understands the intersection of horticulture and software – and is driven to understand the business of her clients. Delivering digital tools that empower growers and packers to make informed decisions to grow efficiencies and profitability is what Sharon does best.

 

Emily May

Emily May is a Riverina-based horticultural agronomist for Elders, specialising in citrus production. With her upbringing near the central coast – working on a lemon orchard – she quickly formed a passion for citrus and a desire to help shape, grow and evolve the industry.

Emily has spent many years studying both in the classroom and in the paddock – holding a bachelor’s degree in agricultural science from UNE, along with various certificates in crop nutrition, pest management and IPM. She is an export-accredited crop monitoring consultant, helping numerous growers every season navigate the requirements of protocol markets. She also holds a Fertcare Australia Accreditation and was a recent participant in the Marcus Oldham Rural Leadership Program where she was a representative of the citrus industry – thanks to the support of the Hort Innovation Citrus Fund.

Emily’s hope is to guide the citrus industry to better utilise technology and innovation enabling for greater stability across all farming systems.

 

Dr. Meena Thakur

Dr. Meena Thakur is an entomologist specialising in integrated pest management (IPM) for horticultural crops and urban environments. With over 14 years of experience, she is dedicated to developing sustainable pest control strategies and enhancing industry resilience through research, innovation, and collaboration with growers.

Meena holds a Ph.D. in Entomology from Dr. YS Parmar University in India, with expertise in insect behaviour, pest ecology, and bioassay studies. Her career spans multiple countries, fellowships and roles – developing eco-friendly pest management solutions and ensuring their real-world applications, product development, and regulatory registrations.

Now based at NSW DPIRD in Yanco, Meena is keen to work closely with growers and researchers to manage key citrus pests. She is actively involved in international pest management initiatives such as ACIAR’s Huanglongbing preparedness project, and promotes biological control, sustainable farming practices, and industry collaboration to support the future of Australian citrus production.

 

Lyndsey Douglas

Lyndsey Douglas is a trained journalist and the editor-in-chief of agricultural content agency Writers Who.

Lyndsey’s voice is synonymous with agricultural events including the Queensland AgTech Summit, Wilmot Field Day, a number of major royal as well as rural events stretching from Alpha in Central Queensland to Condobolin in Western NSW. She was also host of the live-broadcast industry-first Beef TV and wagyu podcast Beyond the Marbling.

Lyndsey is the former chairman of Australian Wool Innovation’s consultation panel, NSW Rural Ambassador, and founding director of Agricultural Shows Australia.

Lyndsey’s clients include AgriFutures, Rural Aid, AgForce, Australian Wool Innovation, and Droughtmaster Australia, with her team comprising of many talented rural journalists living on the land and creating compelling content for agricultural clients.

 

For more information on International Women’s Day, visit the United Nations website.

The 2025 Australian Citrus Congress is now a sold-out event. For more information on the program and speakers, visit the Congress webpage.