Passionate about young people finding their place

When an opportunity came up with Young Farmers she jumped at it.

“I’m particularly interested in the ability of the clubs to help build community, so that young people who are in a very different environment to what many of us understand, are not isolated and they have a community of people and support they can be involved with,” she says.

A business owner and chartered accountant McMillan will bring a wide range of financial expertise and experience to the eight person board.

She has recently been awarded a fellowship for outstanding career achievement and contribution to the profession with the Council of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand.

McMillan has experience in the public sector, corporate business and education and has held a number of senior management and governance roles throughout her career. She has also held roles in the not for profit sector and membership organisations.

She owned her own small rural block in the past.

“I think agriculture is an incredibly important sector for our economy and us as a country, a whole lot of our identity is around the capacity for food production and capacity for using our rural environment, really well.”

NZ Young Farmers board chairperson, Ash-Leigh Campbell says she’s excited to have McMillan on board.

“Catherine comes with such a wealth of experience which is going to be invaluable to our organisation, particularly with her experience in finance and commercial businesses,” she says.

“It’s such an exciting time to be part of the agriculture, food and fibre sectors. New Zealand’s on the forefront of change and innovation as world leaders in sustainable food production.”

“We can’t wait to start working with Catherine, soak up her knowledge and expertise and propel Young Farmers as an organisation into the future.”

McMillan has her own consultancy business, focusing on strategy development and business restructuring.