FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, September 10, 2024
Kneller brings deep experience with agriculture and food systems engagement, spanning from farm to fork, to lead the global nonprofit organization’s program in Australia.
SEATTLE, WA, September 10, 2024 – Leading Harvest, an industry leader in agriculture sustainability, has named Claire Kneller as General Manager for its Australia Program. Kneller will lead membership engagement, business development, and programmatic expansion for the region, ensuring alignment with the organization’s mission to advance agricultural sustainability globally.
“Claire’s wealth of knowledge on sustainable food systems, coupled with deep experience developing and implementing solutions across the agricultural value chain, is an incredible asset for Leading Harvest Australia,” says Kenny Fahey, CEO and President of Leading Harvest. “This is an exciting time for our program in Australia and our member organizations which are truly advancing sustainability at the pace and scale necessary for planetary impact. Claire’s leadership and expertise will help support this good work and accelerate the transition to a more sustainable and resilient agricultural system.”
Kneller is a circular economy and systems thinking expert with more than 10 years of extensive engagement in the food and agriculture sector. Prior to Leading Harvest, Kneller spent 18 years with the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), a prominent climate action NGO dedicated to fostering a circular economy. She established and grew the WRAP Asia Pacific program and led the organization’s work on sustainable food systems, the shift to more circular textiles, and keeping plastic out of the environment.
Kneller’s work in food and agriculture has spanned from farm to fork, including addressing the complex challenges and opportunities within waste prevention, regenerative farming, soil health, biodiversity, and more. Her experience includes cultivating enduring partnerships across government, business, and civil society organizations. She was a key member of the consortium responsible for creating The Food Loss and Waste Standard, an international benchmark established by a global coalition.
“I am thrilled to be joining such a passionate and committed team of experts and excited to build on the foundations already laid by Leading Harvest in Australia,” says Claire Kneller, Australia General Manager, Leading Harvest. “I am keenly aware of the growing impacts that climate change is having on the livelihoods of the people who grow our food, and of the huge responsibility placed on farmers and growers. I’m looking forward to supporting Australia’s shift to climate-positive agriculture.”
Leading Harvest created and maintains an innovative, third-party audited Farmland Management Standard, which is a universal, outcome-based sustainability standard focusing on farm management and continual improvement. The Standard is applied across diverse farming operations globally with over 3 million acres (1.2 million hectares), comprised of more than 100 different row and permanent crop types, now enrolled. The organization launched its Australia program in 2023 with enrollment across 1.3 million acres (540,000 hectares) and 21 crop types in six states.
A photo of Claire Kneller can be found here. More information on Leading Harvest can be found at www.LeadingHarvest.org.
About Leading Harvest
Leading Harvest is a nonprofit organization that mobilizes the entire value chain through market-driven and third-party audited standards, outcome-driven collaborations, and a learning network to accelerate the transition to a more sustainable and resilient global agricultural system. It created and maintains an innovative, third-party audited Farmland Management Standard, which is a universal, outcome-based sustainability standard focusing on farm management and continual improvement.
