Rebecca (Bec) Edwards joined Farmlands/Te Whenua Tāroa in September 2022 as Chief People Officer.

Bec has held senior operations leadership roles in complex customer safety and security environments including aviation and has senior leadership expertise in people and safety in manufacturing, civil engineering, wholesale, food and retail industries across Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom and United States. 

Bec has achieved outstanding results in safety, team education and team engagement. She recently won the prestigious honour of the Australian Financial Review’s Best Places to Work for 2022 in Retail, Hospitality, Tourism and Entertainment, and along with diversity awards in 2021 and 2022. Bec has a relentless passion for culture and people development and is a champion of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI). Bec is focused on leading and supporting the cultural and people transformation required by Farmlands/Te Whenua Tāroa to best meet the needs of its customers now and in the future.

Bec has a deep appreciation of the whenua and a strong belief in the reciprocity that exists between the wellbeing of our whenua and of people. She believes that when our people connect with our whenua, our wellbeing improves, and our affinity for others and our rural hāpori (community) goes up.