Women in agriculture – Perfection celebrates IntL Women’s Day 2024

Since 1978, our dedication to horticultural innovation and progress has been instrumental in producing exceptional products.

Helping to make this success possible has been, in part, thanks to the significant contribution of our female workforce. To coincide with International Women’s Day 2024, we’re amplifying the voices of some of these women working for Perfection Fresh, undertaking a variety of roles in horticulture.

From the glasshouses to our farms, to human resources and corporate finance, these incredible women each bring their own unique gifts, talents and contributions to Perfection Fresh.

Historically, horticulture has been male-dominated, with men taking on most of the work on the farms and the land.

However, this is changing, and women are increasingly taking on leadership roles, bringing a unique perspective to their work.

Women in horticulture

Alana Sciacca - Technical Supply Manager – Bananas

My name is Alana. I am born and bred in Far North Queensland where I currently reside in banana country!

My role as banana technical supply manager focuses on getting bananas from paddock to plate ensuring food safety and retailer standards are met. I work with growers on quality improvement and continue to manage the Ecoganic® certification program for the Ecoganic® Red Tip® Bananas. I am passionate about working on our exclusive banana varieties (Ecoganic® Red Tip® Bananas, Little Gem® Bananas and Havana™ Bananas) to support growers in diversifying their businesses, to target key industry challenges and to engage consumers in a unique eating experience.

The thing I like most about working here is the teams and the people. The support and collaboration of skills and experience within the teams provides an opportunity to learn daily.

Since working at Perfection Fresh I’ve had the opportunity to lead my own product trials, attend training and key industry events, extend my networks and receive fantastic guidance and mentorship from senior leadership.

Patricia Simbolo - Crop Worker - Glasshouse

Hi, my name is Patricia Simbolo and my role is in the glasshouses harvesting Qukes® and tomatoes.

I’m part of the PALM scheme, which allows people, like myself, from Pacific nations to come and work in Australia. Under my PALM visa, I can come to Australia for between six to nine months, which is known as a season, and then I return to Vanuatu. This my fourth season with Perfection Fresh.

I joined Perfection Fresh with the intention of building on my horticulture skill set, securing viable employment and being a part of a friendly team.

Away from work, I am a mother of five children, and through my work I have been able to financially support them throughout their school life to ensure they have been provided with educational opportunities.

This has paved the way towards a happy and successful life in Vanuatu for them. Three of my children are now employed in their own jobs and two are currently at university studying business management and civil engineering.

I continue to enjoy my work and I would describe my work team as my ‘work family’ because of the way we are with each other.

I plan to return to Australia for a fifth season. This time my focus will be on completing my next life ambition: to purchase land and build my own home for my family in Vanuatu.

Judy He - Financial Planning and Analysis Analyst

My name is Judy and I’m a Financial Planning and Analysis Analyst at Perfection Fresh. Originally from China, my journey in Australia began in 2003 when I commenced my studies at the University of Adelaide. I've had the privilege of being part of the Perfection Fresh family for the past decade.

Professionally, I have experienced substantial growth and progression during this time. Initially, I commenced as an assistant accountant. After six months, I transitioned to the head office where I specialised in payroll for approximately 12 months before rising to the role of financial accountant. After two years, I was honoured with my current role, where my responsibilities including budgeting, forecasting, board reporting and financial analysis.

The most enjoyable part of my journey at Perfection Fresh has been the opportunity to work alongside incredibly talented individuals. They have helped me learn and grow, both personally and professionally.

I have been provided me with opportunities for skill development and professional advancement. Through comprehensive training programs and the chance to lead various projects, I've been able to enhance my skills and expertise. Additionally, the flexibility to explore different roles tailored to my strengths has been invaluable in my career progression.

As a working mother of two teenage daughters, I am grateful for the flexibility in work hours. This enables me to effectively balance my professional commitments with family responsibilities.

Seyda Kurtmen - Human Resources Manager

Hi, I am Seyda and I have been with Perfection Fresh for almost a year. I was in commercial real estate for 12 years where I worked in a variety of roles in sales, operations and human resources for an international company overseas and in Australia. 

I joined Perfection Fresh after having a gap year in my career and I was looking for a change in industry. The job appealed to me as I wanted a hands-on role that allowed involvement in a variety of projects, utilise my skills and grow. I wanted to be part of a dynamic culture that values innovation and collaboration.

In my role, I am one of the human resources managers who look after recruitment, partnering with business unit leaders, advising on day-to-day employee performance matters and workforce planning.

I am also the program manager for Perfection Fresh’s early talent graduate program, which began in 2023. Shaping that program and the rotations of the graduates has allowed me to get down to the finer detail and work on improvements to the program. Watching the growth of the graduates has been very rewarding. I am looking forward to start planning and working on the next phase of the program for a new cohort of graduates in 2025.

What I enjoy most about my role is the challenge and pace that keeps me on my feet which I love. The people are very friendly, and we are a close knit and supportive team in human resources. I love that I get to work autonomously but as part of a team at the same time.

I have had amazing support since joining; from informal chats with my manager about my career development to regular check-ins, team meetings and taking part in strategy and planning days. There is a lot of sharing of knowledge in the team to keep up with industry trends and changes to legislation. I have also been fortunate enough to attend a few industry conferences and workshops, which have provided me with invaluable insights and allowed me to gain new perspectives on challenges and opportunities facing our field.

Perfection Fresh has been very supportive to me as a working mum; from allowing me to work flexibly on days where I have to attend the school for assemblies or teacher meetings, to changing my work-from-home days every now and then to cater for kids being at home during the school holidays.

Start times are flexible for parents/carers with drop off and pick up responsibilities and this has been great as you have one less thing to worry about when you are a juggling parent. Hybrid working and allowing for flexibility in general is an added benefit.