Women in agriculture – Perfection celebrates International Women’s Day 2025

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 2025, 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

Mihaela Kaligeris - Category Sales Manager (Mangoes, Melons & Pines)

I'm Mihaela, the Mangoes, Melons & Pines (MMP) Category Sales manager, responsible for key accounts such as Coles, Costco, and the independent market. 

As the MMP Category Sales Manager, I collaborate with internal teams to execute sales strategies, drive volume and value, and manage customer relationships. I work closely with customer buying teams on forecasting, promotions, and sales performance, while also handling communication across orders, accounts, and marketing. I help develop sales, pricing, and promotional strategies, and analyse market trends to inform future sales planning.

During my time at Perfection Fresh, I’ve found a strong culture of respect, collaboration, and open communication. The company promotes diversity, work-life balance, innovation, and recognises both team and individual contributions. Personally, the motivating, thriving, and challenging work environment has inspired me to push for the best outcomes for our business, stakeholders, and customers.

When I started at Perfection Fresh in 2020, my two children were very young, so the flexibility to attend school events like Mother’s Day, awards ceremonies, and sporting activities was crucial. The ability to work from home when the kids were sick or had appointments, and to manage school pick-ups and drop-offs, played a big role in maintaining my family’s wellbeing. One of the things I truly appreciate about Perfection Fresh is its focus on family and work-life balance.

Out of work I love exercising and attend Pilates 5-6 times per week. I really enjoy outdoor activities with the kids, long afternoon walks, bike and scooter rides.  

Rachael Ng - Business Graduate (Marketing & NPD)

Hi, I’m Rachael and I’m one of the business graduates at Perfection Fresh. I joined shortly after graduating from the University of New South Wales where I studied Marketing and Food Science. As I already had an interest in pursuing a career in the food and FMCG space, joining Perfection was a really great opportunity for me to start work in an area of my interest.

Coming in as a graduate, I’ve been rotating across different teams within the business and learning from various leaders to understand how the company operates as a whole. It’s been really interesting to see how involved Perfection is across the whole supply chain. From when produce is grown on farm, to when it reaches the distribution centre to be sorted and packed, to the communications after product launch across our different platforms.

My favourite rotations have been with the NPD and Marketing team where I’ve been involved in some really great hands-on projects that include campaigns for new product launches, consumer research testing, working from concept to product development and recipe testing.

Overall, my experience has been quite unique as I’ve been able to meet and work alongside so many people across different teams. It’s definitely been a fun ride.

Outside of work, I enjoy cooking and baking fun fusion recipes, going on long walks and exploring new food places around Sydney. I’ll never say no to a long catchup on the weekend over some good brunch!

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.