Meet the team: Food Industry Innovation Project Manager Kim Antonio
Leading the charge for the new Food Industry Innovation project is Kim Antonio who has both public and private sector experience across a broad range of industries including regional development, mining and disaster recovery.
Born and bred in Western Australia (WA) on a wheat and sheep farm in Meckering, Kim has spent most of his life based in regional Australia and has a passion for helping regional areas develop their potential.
“We are incredibly fortunate to live in a wonderful part of the world, we are politically stable, affluent, full of opportunity; it is a desire of mine to make sure the future for Western Australia remains prosperous and positive. I have a belief that supporting the development of a robust diverse WA economy is critical to that goal,” he said.
Kim moved to Perth for school and university, completing a Bachelor of Science degree before starting work in regional WA.
In 2000 he was selected as one of WA’s most promising young rural leaders and joined a development program including an international study tour. The post flood recovery program in Moora, which Kim oversaw, was recognised in the Prime Minister Community Awards for 2000.
He has worked previously as a director of the Gascoyne Development Commission and helped develop the “Growing the North” initiative that grew to encompass the Ord expansion, Gascoyne Food bowl, West Kimberley La Grange project and the Pilbara mine dewatering project. He also has a strong background working with indigenous groups on successful projects in Northern Australia.
Kim joined the Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia (DAFWA) in 2003 as the Manager of Economic Development following a push for the department to take on a greater economic development focus.
All of this experience has contributed towards a broad knowledge of business and the WA agricultural industry. His experience working across the different regions of the state in both agriculture and regional development, combined with a strong ability to lead and motivate, positions Kim well to take on the challenge of the Food Industry Innovation project.
His goal is to create greater connections and support for regional operators and help businesses identify market opportunities that are currently being under-utilised to the benefit of WA.
“I believe we need to capture more value for the state from the foods we produce, rather than simply exporting the commodity. By supporting the development of premium food opportunities and the development of the food processing and value-adding sectors we can capture more value, create Western Australian jobs and make a greater contribution to the WA economy,” he said.