President's Report: 25 November 2021

By Glenn Fenton, GIA President
 

The Greenlife Australia Annual General Meeting was held virtually on Tuesday 23 November 2021. During the meeting, members received our Annual Report, comprising the audited financials for the financial year 2020/21, received reports from Directors, and welcomed two new Directors to the Board.

During the AGM, I had the opportunity to highlight the key achievements of the organisation in what has been a very turbulent year for the greenlife industry. I made the point that the greenlife industry has achieved growth beyond our forecasted objectives, and this will have a positive impact on our levy projects in research and development (R&D) and marketing.

While some concerns were raised about GIA finances, the Board remains resolute in ensuring we have an organisation that is committed to protecting, growing and sustaining our industry. GIA is only in its second year of operation, and it has successfully navigated our industry through a pandemic and delivered record growth for our businesses, when other industries have been much less fortunate. We have a lot to be thankful for in that the Australian public has taken gardening and its environmental benefits into both their hearts and their wallets.

At the AGM, I had the honour to introduce Dr Penny Measham and Nick Hutchinson as our newest GIA Directors. Penny and Nick will add significantly to a talented Board that are committed to positioning the industry as critically important to the environmental future and health and well-being of the Australian community. Josh Byrne was reappointed to the Board into the position vacated by the resignation of Karen Brock. I would like to publicly thank Josh for volunteering and continuing his drive to see some of the sustainability projects through. I would also like to thank Karen for her long service to the greenlife industry both as President of the Nursery & Garden Industry Australia (NGIA) and then as a Director of GIA. I wish Karen the best in her future endeavours.

I also welcomed our new Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Joanna Cave to the AGM. Although Joanna will not formally take up her appointment until January, her initial guidance and suggestions to the Board have been very well received.

Finally, I will be visiting the Nursery & Garden Industry Victoria (NGIV) Trade Day and Australian Horticultural Trials Week with Joanna in December. This will be an important opportunity for the greenlife industry to meet their new CEO and for Joanna to get a feel for one of the most important promotional activities in the industry. We look forward to meeting you there too.