Case Studies

Food Frontier

Search for the critical role of Head of Industry Engagement and create a ‘Partner In People’ collaboration

Food Frontier’s Founder, Thomas King and CEO, Jane Sydenham-Clarke, have been named by The Australian in The List: Top 100 Innovators 2022. The List showcases the founders, entrepreneurs and investors building the future of Australia’s economy, with editor David Swan explaining that those included in the Top 100 Innovators “are all helping drive Australia forward and inspiring the rest of the nation to achieve continued success.”

Food Frontier is a not-for-profit (NFP) independent think-tank researching plant-based, precision fermentation and cultivated meat, furthering education and understanding of these emerging protein industries’ economic, environmental and public health benefits.

Inclusion in ‘The List’ recognises Food Frontier’s work since being established in 2017. Their leaders, Thomas and Jane, are named among talented Australians “the future-makers who are hiring the next generation of talent and building the foundations for what our country can — and should — become”.

Food Frontier

Galvin-Rowley Executive had partnered previously with Jane Sydenham-Clarke when she headed up Skyline Education Foundation. From this foundation, Galvin-Rowley Executive were invited to manage the Search for the critical role of Head of Industry Engagement

Head of Industry Engagement was considered a pivotal role for the business, as the conduit between industry and research, to strengthening the market for alternative proteins (plant-based meat, precision fermentation and cultivated meat innovations) across Australia, New Zealand and beyond.

This role acted as the connector between Food Frontier and a broad range of industry stakeholders, responsible for gathering and applying industry insights to inform the direction and focus of Food Frontier’s work, ensuring the delivery of maximum impact to advance the sector, collaborative opportunities and problem-solving across the supply chain – from research to retail. This enables sector growth and development and ensures Food Frontier remains a valued partner to the industry.

Jennifer Galvin-Rowley and Laura Gaugain partnered with Jane on this key role Search

They identified candidates with a strong understanding of the FMCG industry sector and associated supply chains with the personal and professional skills and interest in transitioning from FMCG into the NFP space.

The search was challenging, exacerbated by being undertaken in a tight job market as the economy emerged from COVID lockdowns. With tenacity, resilience and close communication with Jane and Thomas, the Galvin-Rowley Executive team not only delivered an impressive group of possible candidates but ultimately was delighted to place Susie O’Neill into the role in mid-2022.

The success of this partnership opened the opportunity to amplify further and extend the impact for both organisations. Food Frontiers ‘Partner In People’ Galvin-Rowley Executive has the chance to use their particular skills and talent to help Food Frontier grow its capacity for impact by providing influential People & Talent solutions.

“What a joy it is to engage with Galvin Rowley Executive. Grace, care and expertise are the adjectives that come to mind when I think about Jen and the way she manages her clients and candidates. Above all, I am impressed with Galvin Rowley’s service ethic and ability to astutely find the right match for a win-win outcome. Jen is a delight to work with and is a wonderful representative of your corporate or personal brand. She is trustworthy, generous, unflappable, diligent and savvy and comes with my heartfelt recommendation.”

Jane Sydenham-Clarke, Food Frontier, Chief Executive Officer

What Our Clients Say

I first met Jennifer as a candidate. Having touched most of the major search firms as a candidate for executive roles and experienced first-hand their generally low level of candidate care, I have had no hesitation in recommending Jennifer to colleagues who are searching for a new job, or in using her myself as a preferred provider when in need of HR staff.

Mike Johnson

Former HR Director, SKILLED Group

Jen has really invested in understanding our culture and what attributes to look for to ensure a seamless team-fit. In addition, her definition of quality and high-calibre is the same as ours.
That makes life so much easier, and means we are consistently forced to make tough choices at the end of a relatively short recruitment period.
What else could we ask? Highly professional, and a calmly positive influence on us all.

Russell Parker

CEO, Kikki.K
Former CEO, Hallmark International

Galvin-Rowley Executive is a boutique executive placement agency that delivers above and beyond service with integrity to its clients.
The Director, Jennifer Galvin-Rowley, takes the time to understand her clients’ needs and then searches through her amazing network of contacts to find the right people for the right jobs.
Whilst I was CEO of BeyondBlue, Jennifer and her team were a delight to work with and I wouldn’t go anywhere else if I was looking for a key executive.

Dawn O’Neil, AM

Former CEO, BeyondBlue

For nine months we’d searched in vain for a HSE Manager. This was a difficult project: candidates were scarce, our standards were high, and the role was in the country.
When Jen was referred to us, she stood above the other recruiters for three reasons: she dealt in specialist OH&S Managers; she knew how to fill rural roles; and she didn’t advertise—she searched.
Jen approached the task with imagination. Her ideas were unusual, yet so logical. She handled candidates with promptness and respect, and we swiftly found and hired a great fit. I therefore suggest you let Jen recruit your next manager.

Jim Cooper

CEO, Port of Portland

Over the past decade I have engaged Jenny on a number of occasions to source talent across a variety of roles, specifically in HR. She is excellent in her client management as well as her candidate care.
She is responsive to the more challenging assignments and creates a realistic expectation for both the client and her deliverables. Given the service she has provided each time, I have consistently sought her out as a provider and truly value the relationship.