The Women in Agribusiness Demeter Award of Excellence recognizes people and companies in the agribusiness sector that help to increase diversity in the workplace.
Presented by HighQuest Group, the Women in Agribusiness Demeter Award of Excellence acknowledges the outstanding achievements of those who have taken identifiable actions to create positive results in retaining, recruiting and promoting women in the ag sector. The awards will be presented at the annual Women in Agribusiness Summit in Minneapolis, Minnesota, September 28-30 at the Hyatt Regency.
The recipients are:
- Leader of the Year: Kim Walker of Faegre Baker Daniels
- Innovator of the Year: Megan Delvis of Dow AgroSciences
- Company of the Year: Beck Ag Inc.
Leader of the Year
Kim Walker leads Faegre Baker Daniels’ international food and agriculture industry team. Over his 35-year career, he has been a leader in promoting women professionals, helping implement creative and effective strategies to support their professional development. He also has served on Faegre Baker Daniels’ national Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Group.
Within the community, Walker has been a member of the Twin Cities Diversity in Practice marketing committee, and last year received Executive Women International’s (Des Moines Chapter) Executive of the Year Award.
“It is truly an honor to receive the Leader of the Year award from Women in Agribusiness,” Walker told WATT Global Media. “Throughout my 35-year career, I have strived to support the advancement of women within my practice, the firm as a whole, and food and agriculture industry. I believe that a key component to achieving success as a leader is to create an environment that encourages inclusiveness, engagement and equal opportunities for achievement.”
Innovator of the Year
At Dow AgroSciences, Megan Delvis is U.S. commercial excellence leader and co-chairwoman of their Women’s Innovation Network (WIN). During her tenure, the WIN team has extended its reach to all North American offices, and has partnered with other diversity and inclusion networks to elevate the awareness around minority issues and generate recruitment of underrepresented groups.
Company of the Year
Beck Ag Inc. has worked with leading companies in the ag industry on marketing and sales strategies that leverage advocacy and result in accelerating behavior change. With balance as part of its guiding principles, Beck Ag has been able to attract and retain professionals with deep ag industry experience who have a desire to deliver excellence.
Sixty-seven percent of Beck Ag’s ranks are women, as are five of nine Beck Ag shareholders; the company is deeply committed to providing a culture where each individual can contribute, grow and succeed.
