There’s a generational shift happening. In less than eight years, a new generation will step up to replace the seven million people over 65 in Canada. Investing in young leaders is needed now more than ever.
Fortunately for the seed industry, the future’s in good hands.
Germination asked for nominations for 10 leaders in the industry who showcase a drive for bettering the global seed industry. These leaders come from a range of businesses — from multinationals to associations to independent companies. They all have one goal in common: leading the seed sector into the future.
These 10 Next-Gen Leaders were nominated by their managers, their peers, and different seed associations who saw their potential as up-and-coming leaders. Here’s the third.
As the Canadian Seed Growers’ Association’s certification manager, Brianna oversees the flow of seed crops through the certification process and contributes to the development of the Association’s policies and programs. Brianna and her well-supported Certification team work hard to deliver Canada’s top-notch seed crop certification program.
While she has a lot on her plate, Brianna is a leader who takes the time to contribute to the success of others. She is well known for sharing her knowledge and passion with her colleagues, helping to develop their skills.
Growers mention how much they appreciate the time Brianna takes to explain the sometimes-complicated certification process and how to succeed in their production. In doing so, Brianna contributes to the success of our seed sector.
“My team and I are continually working to modernize and digitize CSGA’s operations to improve efficiency and reduce uncertainty for growers,” she says.
The Association has rolled out digital crop certificates and is exploring other digitalization service options. For instance, CSGA’s pilot project on digital seed tags will allow growers to digitize their operations further, making the often-cumbersome seed tag process as smooth as possible. Digital seed tags also create an opportunity to completely close the gap in the certification cycle by drawing information from the tag directly onto CSGA’s application forms.
Having joined CSGA from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, where she dealt with Alternative Service Delivery and shepherded industry-requested Seeds Regulations amendments, Brianna knows the process requires diligence and effort. She is hopeful that the Regulations can be more flexible rather than requiring legislative committees for all adjustments to the Regulations’ Schedules.
On the sector side, Brianna works to develop bridges and tools to improve CSGA’s transparency and to connect growers, inspectors, and companies with the information they need when needed.
“Our digitalization and modernization efforts support CSGA’s continued effort to modernize as set out in our CSGA 2.0 business plan. I’m very proud to be part of a team that is willing to change, to do things differently,” says Brianna. “We are actively contributing to developing the next-generation seed system,” she adds.
