Ronni Kahn needs little in the way of introduction. As CEO and Founder of leading food rescue organisation OzHarvest, Kahn is renowned for her unwavering commitment to tackling the social and environmental impacts of food waste on a national scale.
She has also been a highly regarded judge at previous The CEO Magazine’s Executive of the Year Awards events over the years. Last year, she won the coveted Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of her dedication to improving social justice and environmental issues, and in 2023, she has returned to the Awards’ judging panel.
Kahn founded OzHarvest in 2004 after seeing the volume of food that goes to waste in the hospitality industry – and she’s been changing lives ever since.
“Every day I’m looking for new ways to create a bigger impact and positive transformative outcomes for both people and the planet.”
“I started OzHarvest to stop good food going to waste and get it to people in need,” she says. “I always wanted it to be known as a ‘for impact’ organisation, rather than a charity or not-for-profit.”
Today, OzHarvest operates around Australia and rescues over 180 metric tons of food each week from more than 3,000 food donors, including commercial outlets such as supermarkets, restaurants, farmers and boardrooms, and delivers it to more than 1,900 charities supporting people in need.
Over the course of her 18-year career as CEO of OzHarvest, the organisation’s familiar sunflower-yellow vans and army of volunteers aren’t the only striking examples of innovation.
Kahn not only launched the world’s first free supermarket – the OzHarvest Market in Sydney’s Waterloo – but also Refettorio, a restaurant that’s based on a zero-waste philosophy.
In 2018, she formed ForPurposeCo., creating a new income stream for OzHarvest to ensure that the organisation can continue to fulfil its mission and meet the growing demand for food relief.
“We are very committed to halving food waste by 2030, in line with the UN SDG [United Nations Sustainable Development Goals]. There are only around 2,250 days left until 2030. To halve food waste within that time is a huge challenge, but I’m fully optimistic that we can do this because we have to, in order to protect both our people and our planet,” she explains.
“Every day I’m looking for new ways to create a bigger impact and positive transformative outcomes for both people and the planet. I’m determined to raise awareness and change behaviour around food waste, the value of food and the basic right for each and every one of us to live a sustainable, healthy and nutritious life.”
A believer in aligning what you do with your core values, Kahn has dedicated herself to making an impact.
“We all have a role to play that is bigger than looking after ourselves,” she explains. “The ripple effect of goodness and kindness that we can put out to the world is where you will find the biggest personal gains.”
Kahn continually strives to be a collaborative, thoughtful and empowering team player, describing her leadership style in three words: committed, passionate and resilient.
“There is nothing that I would ask any of my staff to do that I would not do myself,” she says. “I have chosen amazing people to work around me, to inspire me to be the best I can.”
On returning to the judging panel of The CEO Magazine’s Executive of the Year Awards this year, her palpable energy and zeal worked to inspire everyone involved.
“Acknowledging great leadership in every area of business is very powerful,” she says. “Showcasing the best is inspiring.”
