Ronni Kahn AO has well and truly found her purpose in life. As the Founder and CEO of OzHarvest, she plays an important role in preventing food waste while feeding those who don’t know where their next meal is coming from. “Our commitment is to ‘nourish our country’ through making sure that good food does not go to waste and rather goes to feed those in need,” Ronni says. “We educate, engage and innovate around sustainability to enhance the value of food.”
A chance meeting in 2003 with an “extraordinary woman” in South Africa galvanised Ronni into action to start the organisation. She had witnessed the huge volume of quality food that went to waste in the hospitality industry and knew there was a better way.
Today, OzHarvest rescues more than 180 tonnes of food per week from 3,500-plus food donors such as supermarkets, hotels and boardrooms, before delivering to agencies across Australia that support disadvantaged people.
Describing herself as “passionate, compassionate and courageous”, Ronni’s favourite piece of advice that guides her in life is to “do unto others what you would want them to do unto you”. And the one thing she does every day, without fail, is show gratitude for her life, work and those around her.
Ronni is a returning judge for the 2020 Executive of the Year Awards, tasked with the challenge of determining who will be crowned CEO of the Year – the pinnacle award of the event. “The Executive of the Year Awards are really important to highlight those leaders that are outstanding and give competitive executives something to strive towards,” Ronni says.
This year’s Executive of the Year Awards will be held as a virtual event on 12 November 2020. Finalists are announced on 10 September.
Ronni is one of 11 judges on the panel this year.
