From media to machinery: Meet Dowerin GWN7 Machinery Field Days’ new managing director Danielle Green

Danielle Green is relishing a return to her country roots after trading in her Perth-based role in media and events management for a new opportunity as the new managing director of the Dowerin GWN7 Machinery Field Days. Originally from a farm at Trayning, about 50 minutes east of Dowerin, Ms Green has fond memories of attending the Field Days as a child and spending time on the farm. “We would be in the ute, chasing sheep, doing laps in the tractor and playing in the grain at harvest,” she said. “It was such a good childhood.” With more than 20 years of experience in marketing, Ms Green comes to Dowerin Events Management — the group that runs the Field Days — after spending the past two years at Business News. Prior to that, she worked at Seven West Media running the business’ events program for 11 years — including the Channel 7 Christmas Pageant, the West Business Leadership Matters breakfasts, and the 2019 Resources Technology Showcase. It is both that extensive experience in the corporate world and her country roots she plans to draw on in her new role. Regarding herself as a “Wheatbelt girl who went off and did big adventures”, including seven years in Europe, Ms Green hopes to use her return to the country as a chance to give a voice to regional communities. “We talk about mining all the time but agriculture is the second biggest contributor to the economy and we need to give some love to our regional communities,” she said. “The Field Days is a platform for that, but it is possible for Perth people to pop up for the day and come up and be a part of it, and see how sophisticated machinery and farming is these days. “We need to be super proud of what farmers do and support them and showcase that.” Ms Green said the role at Dowerin seemed “fated” when — after her son Jagger floated the idea of becoming a boarding student at Aquinas this year — she was open to consider offers based outside of the city. “I kept thinking how fun it would be to do a regional event, and I thought ‘how fun to do something community focused’. I wanted to do something that had a different purpose than media,” she said. “I had been in that mindset for a long time, and then Dowerin popped up. “It was just timing, I reconnected with the country and had been spending a lot more time with country people and then with Jagger off at boarding school — I was ready for the next challenge. My corporate background will be really helpful in the role.” The managing director role is a new one for Dowerin GWN7 Machinery Field Days, and Ms Green will work all-year round with the Dowerin Events Management board, while helping to develop the three-year plan. A record crowd of 24,000 people flocked through the gates of last year’s event, which is traditionally WA’s biggest field day. Ms Green said she wanted to highlight that while Dowerin GWN7 Machinery Field Days was well-attended and well-exhibited, there was “little corporate support behind it” and she would be working hard to nurture that. “We have so many big corporates whose client base is in agriculture, like banks, insurance companies, and stockbrokers,” she said. “Because it is a not-for-profit, all of the money does go back into local communities so the more support and acknowledgement we get from our corporates, the better.” Dowerin GWN7 Machinery Field Days chair Ashley Jones said he was thrilled to welcome Ms Green at a “pivotal time” that would see the event “further develop and adapt to the changing climate that we are experiencing”. “Danielle has exceptional strengths in sponsorship, marketing and leadership coupled with her broad range of skills that will not only benefit our organisation but the wider regional community as well,” he said. While Ms Green is splitting her time between Dowerin and Perth, she plans on moving to the town full-time in winter and is looking forward to picking up a stick and heading down to the Dowerin Golf Club. “I do have a home, in town. I will be spending most of my week there and being part of a community,” she said. “Being quite passionate about agriculture and the country, this role was perfect.”