Meet Dr Angeline Achariya
FTSE, FAIFST, GAICD
BSc (Hons), PhD, GCert Bus Mng.
"My passion for creating sustainable food systems that serve both people and planet drives my future-focused approach to board governance—anticipating market shifts, emerging technologies, and evolving stakeholder expectations before they become urgent priorities."
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"This agrifood foundation, combined with my current IISA, AEA and Wine Australia Board Director roles, enables me to bridge traditional farming wisdom with strategic innovation leadership."
Recent Milestones and Recognition
With 1200+ innovations commercialised globally and proven track record delivering $30M in enterprise productivity savings and 5-7% profit increases across volatile markets.
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2025
Appointed Board Director of Industry Innovation and Science Australia (IISA) — the pinnacle appointment overseeing Australia's multi-billion dollar national innovation investments.
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"I call this appointment 'the Everest' of my career because it represents the opportunity to shape Australia's innovation ecosystem for the decades ahead."
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2024-2025: National Recognition
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Superstar of STEM 2025 - Science & Technology Australia
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Women of the Decade 2024 - Women Economic Forum
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LinkedIn Global Top Voice 2024 - Leadership & Influence
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Board Director, Wine Australia 2024
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Fellowship Recognition
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Fellow, Academy of Technological Sciences & Engineering (FTSE)
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Fellow, Australian Institute of Food Science & Technology (FAIFST)
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Graduate, Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD)
Current Strategic Portfolio
Government & National Leadership
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Industry Innovation and Science Australia (IISA)
Board Director - overseeing multi-billion-dollar national innovation investments
Australia's Economic Accelerator
Advisory Board - supporting university research to commercialisation
Victorian Multicultural Business Ministerial Council
Member - Advancing multicultural business opportunities
CSIRO Agriculture & Food Advisory Board
Future Protein Mission (Former)
Industry Governance
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Wine Australia
Non-Executive Director - strategic oversight for Australia's multi-billion dollar wine industry
Australian Institute of Food Science & Technology
Board Director - professional standards and industry development
Innovation Gamechangers
CEO & Strategic Advisor
Global Influence & Impact​
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G100 Mission Million Asia Pacific
Chair, Food Systems Innovation & Resilience - Advancing an inclusive and diverse food system
Australia China Business Council
Chair, Victorian Agribusiness & Food Forum - Facilitating agribusiness trade relationships
Beanstalk AgTech & Drought Venture Studio
Senior Advisor - scaling climate resilient technologies
World Agriculture Forum
Global Council Member
Media & Thought Leadership
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"Women Transforming Food" Podcast
Co-host with Inside FMCG
330+ International Speaking Engagements
Keynote & Panel Speaker
LinkedIn Global Voice
Thought Leadership in leadership and influence
Journey from Farm to Boardroom
Agricultural Roots Shape Strategic Vision​
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My formative years spent on my grandparents' sugarcane farms in Fiji instilled a deep understanding of sustainable agriculture and the complex global food system. This grounding keeps me focused on creating value for shareholders, customers, and communities.
25+ Years of Global Innovation Leadership
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From Mrs. Crockett's in Brisbane to the C-suites of Mars, Fonterra, Yum! Brands, Mondelez International and J R Simplot, I've commercialised 1,200+ innovations across volatile global markets, building an entrepreneurial mindset that sees opportunities where others see obstacles.
World-First
Innovation Pioneer
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Co-founded the Monash Food Innovation Centre — the world's first industry-shared innovation hub — which continues today as a model for connecting industry, research, and government to scale innovations for profitable and sustainable growth.
Unique Boardroom Value Proposition​
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My unique expertise lies in bridging complex ecosystems connecting industry, research, and government while translating insights across sectors through deep agrifood systems understanding. This bridge-building capability enables me to anticipate challenges before they become crises and identify opportunities where others see obstacles.
What Drives my
Leadership?
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Transforming agrifood systems through strategic foresight, building bridges between stakeholders who traditionally don’t connect, and ensuring innovations create sustainable value for all shareholders, communities, and our planet. I believe effective board stewardship means being willing to ask hard questions while fostering collaborative decision-making.