Kelly McJannett

About Kelly

Kelly McJannett is the co-founder and CEO of Food Ladder, a social enterprise using AI-powered hydroponic technology to grow fresh food in some of the world's most remote and disadvantaged communities. Recognised in the AFR's 100 Women of Influence, Kelly has built Food Ladder into an internationally recognised model for sustainable, technology-driven food security.

Food Ladder's approach is as innovative as it is practical: proprietary AI systems monitor and optimise growing conditions in hydroponic greenhouses that can be deployed in environments where traditional agriculture is impossible — from remote Aboriginal communities in outback Australia to Pacific Island nations threatened by rising seas. The technology grows fresh produce year-round with a fraction of the water conventional farming requires, addressing malnutrition, food sovereignty and climate vulnerability simultaneously.

Kelly speaks about the intersection of technology, social enterprise and food security with a clarity and passion born of a decade of building in the field. Her talks are sought after by audiences in sustainability, innovation and leadership — and by organisations that want to understand what it looks like when technology is put genuinely in service of people rather than profit.