Kim McDonnell

From the farm gate to the dinner plate, Kim McDonnell is driven by a mission to future-proof our food system. Whether championing climate-smart agriculture, promoting soil health, advocating for farmers, or finding solutions to mitigate food waste throughout the supply chain, Kim is passionately dedicated to creating sustainable, scalable solutions to drive positive impact.

Kim has spoken at the United Nations, was a member of the Professional Business Council Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center, and was an Honorary Adviser to the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development NY, and has been featured in Forbes and numerous other local and global publications.

Kim is on a mission to future-proof food systems and to ensure all families, everywhere, have food on their tables. In 2019, during Australia’s struggle with the longest drought in living memory, devastating bushfires, and subsequent floods, Kim was inspired to launch Thankful for Farmers. The aim was to reshape the narrative. Fostering a dialogue centered on valuing and acknowledging the pivotal role farmers play as the backbone of our food system, whilst also acknowledging and appreciating their dual responsibilities as custodians of the land and frontline environmentalists. By seamlessly connecting the journey from the farm gate to the dinner plate, Kim is sparking both local and global conversations to acknowledge the crucial role farmers play in feeding the world and their impact to fight climate change through the adoption of climate-smart farming practices. Understanding the power of collaborative action, Kim has successfully brought together industries, brands, influencers, and consumers. This united effort has amplified awareness and generated scalable funding, supporting sustainable agriculture and regional communities.

Through the work of Thankful for Farmers, Kim recognised a significant challenge on both local and global scales: the massive issue of food waste throughout the entire supply chain, spanning from the farmgate to the dinner plate.

Determined to find solutions and practical and tangible tools, Kim founded Saveful which was launched in Nov, 2023. Saveful is an innovative and FREE app to help families make family meal times less stressful & more sustainable, saving money, time and reducing food waste. Saveful launched with the support of multi levels of government, industry associations and corporate partners.

Kim’s journey is one of hard work, relentless effort, vision, discipline, commitment, and perseverance. From the outback mining town of Mount Isa where Kim grew up, to the boardrooms of Melbourne, Sydney, New York and the United Nations … to the decision to turn her life into a mission to empower and create positive change. Kim gave up a successful career of over 25 years working in the Australian advertising, digital and data-driven marketing industry at international agencies including Leo Burnett and Publicis Worldwide as well as her own award-winning agency CUBED Communications, which was founded in 2005 and sold to Publicis Worldwide in 2014.

Selling all that she owned and uprooting her family to relocate to New York, Kim’s commitment to creating impactful, scalable, and sustainable change is a story of sacrifice and challenges and an unwavering determination to drive collective action. Kim has aligned influencers, thought leaders, brands and organisations to create the biggest impact for communities in Australia and beyond.

Not one for ever taking no for an answer, Kim continues to facilitate the collaboration of government, industry and corporates to drive the conversations that matter and deliver meaningful and authentic action.