David Beurle
Innovative Leadership Australia

David is the founder and Managing Director of Innovative Leadership (ILA), a company specializing in rural leadership and innovative rural community economic development. He created this business because of his interest and commitment to rural industries and communities.

David’s background and passion is people and agriculture, having been raised on a farm and studying agriculture at Sydney University. This was followed by a successful career with the Western Australian Government, including eight years as principal adviser to the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries, and one year with the Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources. Prior to forming his company, he worked for two years as a manager with a one of the world’s leading international personal training and development companies.

Rural Community Development and Rural Leadership - Program Design and Management

• 2003 – 2004. Design, present and implement community development, leadership and economic development programs for clients in rural areas in Australia and the United States of America.
• 1996 – 2001. Designed, implemented and managed a major state-based rural leadership and rural community development program (Progress Rural WA), with over 3000 graduates in 4 years. This was a major culture change program across six regions covering Western Australia. These programs were widely credited with putting rural leadership on the agenda of state and local government as an important issue;
• 1996 – 2001. Organized and ran 20 international study tours that explored stimulating innovation in agriculture, new collaborative approaches in value adding ventures, rural leadership, and rural community development. These tours directly resulted in many new rural business ventures, innovations and approaches – which have now been widely adopted across much of rural Western Australia;
• 1998 – 2002. Created and implemented State-wide rural reward and recognition programs, which have become major televised events, and organized and designed 6 major state conferences;
• 1996 – 2003. Developed and ran leadership programs to over 1,500 people in Western Australia. These programs have focused on young people, existing leaders, rural women and emerging leaders. In independent University based evaluations, the programs were assessed as been defined as ‘outstandingly effective’;
• 1984 – 1993. Worked across Western Australia on projects aimed to build local economies, improve sustainable land management, and engage rural communities and industries in local land conservation groups.

Working with rural communities, and agricultural and rural industries

• 20 years experience working with rural and agricultural industries in areas of strategic industry development, trade and value adding investments, agricultural tourism and expanding local and regional economies
• 1993 – 2001. Worked at Ministerial level in international trade and market development, including brokering industry collaboration and strategic partnerships with some of Western Australia’s major agricultural trading partners;
• 1993 - 1996. Involved is several major industry development projects, including steering a $50 million agriculture value-added investment project. Organized a number of international trade development delegations and negotiated international agreements on behalf of the Minister and the Government of Western Australia;
• 1999 – 2001. Piloted the development of four Regional Branding groups in regional Western Australia. This was from introducing the concept, to having community based groups running their own branding projects.

Working with Government

• Appointed by the state Minister for Agriculture to major Government agency reviews, including chairing a key working group that was tasked with creating and implementing new partnership structures between industry, organizations and Government;
• Represented the State of Western Australia on over 40 international, national and State trade groups, working committees and trade delegations;
• Worked for over 16 years in the State Government, including eight years at the as Principal Adviser to Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries. This included operating at the senior level of policy development, parliamentary meetings and industry liaison.

Working with Indigenous Groups

• June to November 2004. Undertaking a national consultation on Child Health in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities for the National Public Health Partnership, which reports to the Australian Health Ministers.
• April to June 2004. Commenced a national project to report to National Physical Activity for Health Action Plan: Developing action on physical activity for health that specifically meets the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.
• September 2003, facilitated a national (Australia) workshop with Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander people, as part of the National Obesity Taskforce. This workshop is being held up as a model of working with indigenous people, and will be profiled at the 18th World Conference on Health Promotion and Education in 2004;
• Currently working on designing and delivering a leadership course for aboriginal people in northern Western Australia in 2003-04;
• Worked extensively with indigenous groups in northern Australia to create business development and land-use plans, and created programs to empower aboriginal participation in industry and societal leadership.

AWARDS

• International Award 2002 – International Community Development Society’s (CDS) ‘Innovative Program Award’ for the development of ‘a superior innovative program’;
• Finalist in the 2000 StateWest Achievement Awards (WA) under the Group Category (Groups or a number of colleagues involved in a special project) – with the key criteria being ‘Outstanding Service to the Community and Significant Efficiency/ Productivity’.

• Current Board Director, Western Australian Community Foundation – the major philanthropic organization in Western Australia.

• Bachelor of Agricultural Science, Sydney University, 1979 – 1984;
• Numerous executive management, facilitation training and communication training programs;
• Trained as a Senior Program leader with Landmark Education (worldwide personal training and development company).

In addition, as part of work has traveled widely. In the last eight years, has led study tours, or undertaken work in the USA, Canada, UK, Netherlands, France, Belgium, India, China, New Zealand, Israel and Egypt.

Laboratory for Community and Economic Development | College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences
University of Illinois Extension | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign