“I have aspirations in corporate governance and it’s a great opportunity to connect with people I normally wouldn’t,” she told Rural News. “And it’s a wonderful opportunity to develop leadership skills.”
Kidd was named the Dairy Woman of the Year at the Dairy Women’s Network annual conference in Nelson.
Kidd has at least 20 years’ experience and has influenced many aspects of the dairy industry after graduating with a Bachelor of Agricultural Science (Hons) in 1993.
Kidd was a founding director of Synlait and started Avance Ltd, a company designed to create a family farming asset by helping other farm businesses achieve their goals
In 2008 the BEL Group contracted Avance to run their Hawke’s Bay dairy farm operations. The BEL Group employs at least 60 people milking 8600 cows on 80 dairy farms on 2400ha, with another 960ha in dairy support.
Under Kidd’s leadership BEL Group has grown to reach its first milestone goals and won the Human Resources Institute of New Zealand’s 2011 HR Initiative of the Year award.
“I believe there is immense value in supporting New Zealand’s farming families and helping their businesses thrive,” she said on winning the award. “They make a massive contribution to communities all over the country as well as building the bridge across the rural and urban divide, and that is where I would like to contribute and make a difference.”
Kidd’s prize is a Fonterra-sponsored scholarship to the Global Women, Women in Leadership programme valued at $25,000. This will give her 12 months’ exposure to globally focused women in leadership roles in New Zealand business.
