Kate first started in 2012 as a retail sales representative at Elders Dubbo, where she grew up. She explained in the nearly 15 years since, she has seen significant change in opportunity and visibility for women in agriculture.
"When I first started, there were very few women in retail sales roles within Elders; maybe a dozen or a few more," Kate said.
"In that role, I used to pick up the phone, and I remember clients would often say, 'Can I speak to one of the boys, please?'
"I started to feel like I was working a switchboard, just managing enquiries and diverting the phones. Until one day, I decided if it's got to be, it's up to me, so I made a conscious decision to change how I answered that call: 'No, the boys are a bit busy at the moment, but can I help you?'
"It really created a mental shift within our client base, and I think bringing those clients along for the journey and helping them understand that I too could help them, was a massive turning point."It didn't take long for Kate to progress to a more senior role within the branch, becoming retail sales manager after a few years.
In 2017, Kate hit another career highlight; she won the coveted Thomas Elder Employee of the Year award, recognising outstanding performance from across the entire Elders network.
"I was very fortunate to win that award, and it was real reflection of the wider Dubbo retail team," Kate said.
"When the awards night was coming to an end, a lady came up to me. I didn't know her at the time, but I do now - she was and still is a director on Elders' board. She congratulated me and said, 'Did you know you're the first woman to win this award?'
"It wasn't until after the fact that it really resonated with me, how long it had taken for a woman to win that award. But then since then, I'm really proud to say that there have been another three or four women win it. We are doing a much better job of highlighting women within the business and fostering their success."
Another few years on, Kate decided to grow her family.
"One of my biggest concerns when I left to have my two boys was that I wasn't going to be able to come back in a manager's role," Kate said.
"It wasn't until I did decide to come back that I received a phone call, expressing that a new position had become available in the NSW state retail team. I immediately said, 'I can't do it', but Elders was really happy to offer it to me part-time, with flexibility; even the ability to work from home if needed which enabled me to come back into the workforce in a meaningful way while balancing family life."
At the end of 2025, Kate was appointed Head of Animal Health and General Merchandise for the Elders Rural Services business nationally. This portfolio equates to roughly $500 million worth of sales across 250 branches.
"The work we do takes thousands of people and I'm really just one piece of the puzzle. I love this role, I travel a lot, and I'm proud to represent our team," Kate said."When I first started, we had very few women in retail at Elders, and now, women are employed in half of those roles, and our retail general manager is a woman.
"I think my career is really a reflection of how far we've come over the last 15 years, and I'm really proud to work for a company that is making sure women have a seat at the table."