WA Graduate Joins AWI
A graduate from Ongerup, Western Australia has been selected to join the Australia Wool Innovation (AWI) Graduate Training Program.
AWI Chief Executive John Roberts says Taite O’Neill was selected as the top candidate to take part in their 18-month program.
“AWI saw a 22% increase in applications this year, a clear indication of the passionate and enthusiastic young talent we have within the wool Industry. We look forward to having Taite on board.
It’s a lengthy and rigorous selection process, with all short-listed candidates interviewed online”.
Taite’s wool journey began at home on the family farm in Ongerup, Western Australia. It was here that her deep-rooted connection to the wool industry inspired her to study a Bachelor of Agricultural Science at Murdoch University. It didn’t take long for Taite’s passion to strengthen and grow and spark a keen interest in learning more about wool beyond the farm gate.
Taite will make the move to Sydney in early March to start the 18-month program, she had this to say about making it through the competitive selection process.
“The prospect of exploring all aspects of the Australian wool industry and expanding my knowledge is incredibly exciting. I am looking forward to learning as much about our supply chain as possible and fulfilling my desire to contribute to AWI’s vision.”
2024 AWI Graduate Oskar Mitchell from Cowra in the central west of NSW is half-way through his program and is currently working with the research team.
2023 Graduates take on their new roles at AWI
Both our 2023 Graduates, Kate and Harrison have shown unwavering dedication and commitment to learning all about the wool supply chain, how we operate as a business, and have not been shy in getting involved in anything and everything the teams at AWI have thrown at them. As a result, both have made significant contributions to many of our projects and initiatives over the last 18 months and they will continue to do so within their new roles.
Kate Rice
Kate has moved into the role of Stakeholder Communications Coordinator, supporting both our General Manager of Consultation & Engagement, and our Marketing Content Manager. This is a key role and will involve managing direct woolgrower content and communications, helping co-ordinate events and presentations and working with the Consultation, On-farm, Processing Innovation, Education Extension, and Marketing teams to help create and manage communications across our many platforms.
Harrison Dunning
Harrison has joined our Global Sustainability Team, supporting our Global Sustainability Manager in the delivery of Woolmark+ and AWI’s broader sustainability initiatives, an area of great importance to the business and Industry as a whole. Harrison will play an important role in being the link between his team and other teams across the business for all things Sustainability.
