Ronni Kahn Travels from Sydney, NSW

Ronni’s determination shone through when together with pro bono lawyers, she lobbied government to have the law changed to allow good food to be given away for free without fear of liability to the donor.  In 2005 the Civil Liabilities Amendment Act was passed in NSW, with other states following.

Today, OzHarvest is Australia’s leading food rescue organisation. The charity grew under Ronni’s stewardship from humble beginnings in Sydney to delivering food and educational programs across Australia and the charity’s model has been shared globally; now established in New Zealand, South Africa, Japan, Vietnam and the United Kingdom.

Ronni’s quest to tackle Australia’s food waste problem makes her a lead spokesperson on the issue, appearing regularly in national media, on expert panels and in an advisory capacity to the government. She is a keynote speaker all over the world, inspiring people to find their own purpose.

Always on the lookout for new ways to innovate, Ronni, started the world’s first free supermarket – the OzHarvest Market – based on a ‘take what you need give if you can’ philosophy and founded OzHarvest Ventures - a sustainable, social focused business to create revenue for OzHarvest.

Ronni has received various accolades recognising her achievements, most notably her appointments as Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) and Australian Local Hero of the Year, Boss Magazine Top 21 True Leaders, Gourmet Traveller’s Outstanding Contribution to Hospitality, Griffith University’s Doctor of the University, University South Australia Doctor of the University and a top 100 Innovator as named in The Australian Business Review 2022.

Her journey in the fight against food waste became the feature of an independent film Food Fighter and her memoir;  A Re-Purposed Life published by Murdoch Books Australia was released in September 2020