Britta Marsh never expected agriculture to become her career, let alone to be recognised as a leader within the field.
Yet the Brisbane-based AgTech consultant and ecosystem builder now finds herself named the inaugural recipient of the Liz Alexander Bursary for Leadership in AgTech and Innovation, an honour she describes as both exciting and deeply humbling.
“Thank you, I’m so excited but I have big shoes to fill. Liz was an amazing person,” Ms Marsh said.
Awarded for the first time this year, the bursary recognises emerging leaders who embody the same regional focus and collaborative spirit that defined the late Liz Alexander’s influence on Queensland’s agricultural innovation landscape.
For Ms Marsh, being the first recipient carries both pride and a sense of duty.
“I’m so incredibly honoured. I almost want to say that I see it as a little bit of a responsibility in a way,” she said.
“I see it as a responsibility to go out there and share what I know and make connections among different people, whether that’s the government, investors, ag techs, farmers and be really collaborative and help in any way I can.”
Ms Marsh’s professional path has been unconventional. Born in South Africa, she immigrated to Australia with her family at age 13 and completed her high schooling in Brisbane at Northside Christian College.
Initially, her ambitions lay far from paddocks and producers.
“Originally I actually wanted to be a doctor,” she said.
After gaining entry into a biomedical science pre-medical degree, she chose to take a gap year before committing to nearly a decade of study.
That pause changed everything. Instead of medicine, she enrolled in a business marketing degree, seeking something practical and flexible. It was during this time she discovered the power of learning through experience.
“I quickly realised that I was learning a lot more about the job on the job than I was in the classroom,” she said.
An internship soon became a full-time marketing assistant role and she ultimately completed her degree online while working.
What followed was seven years immersed in the world of technology start-ups — a space she credits with shaping her understanding of innovation, entrepreneurship and problem-solving.
Agriculture, however, still wasn’t in sight.
“I can honestly say that I never thought I would ever work in agriculture. It wasn’t even on my radar,” she said.
Her only early exposure to the sector came from childhood holidays spent on her uncle’s chicken farm in South Africa. It was a distant memory rather than a career inspiration.
The turning point came when she joined technology accelerator, Farmers2Founders, as an in-house marketing expert, working exclusively with AgTech companies.
She was hired for her marketing expertise, not agricultural knowledge — but the experience proved transformative.
“I have been involved in ag tech ever since,” she said.
Today, Ms Marsh works as an AgTech consultant, ecosystem builder and early-stage investment associate supporting innovation across Queensland’s agricultural sector.
She has worked with more than 200 AgTech start-ups nationally, including more than 50 based in Queensland and serves on the Australian Agritech Association’s National Committee.
She is also an associate at Queensland venture capital firm 77 Partners, where she helps guide early-stage investment decisions.
Her work centres on strengthening pathways for regional, producer-led innovation — a focus that closely mirrors Liz Alexander’s legacy.
Much of Ms Marsh’s time is spent travelling beyond metropolitan centres, visiting farms, running workshops and connecting founders with producers and investors.
“The nature of ag is that it happens out in the field in the regions,” she said.
It is in these regional communities that she most strongly feels the weight of the bursary’s significance.
She frequently encounters Liz Alexander’s name during conversations about innovation and development, even before receiving the award herself.
“So my goal for the bursary is to help carry on Liz’s legacy,” she said.
Ms Marsh is also passionate about reshaping perceptions of agriculture among younger generations.
She regularly speaks at high school career days, determined to broaden students’ understanding of what modern agriculture looks like.
“I think a lot of kids – actually a lot of people, adults even – think that agriculture is still just a farmer on a tractor,” she said.
“When, in reality, we’ve got drones and robotics and biotechnology and we’re manipulating things in the lab and then we’re trying it in the field.”
Her enthusiasm stems not only from technological advancement but from the people behind it.
She sees strong parallels between start-up founders and farmers, describing both as natural entrepreneurs driven to solve complex problems with limited resources.
“When I meet and talk to farmers, every single day, they are having to solve complex problems on the farm with very few resources,” she said.
The Liz Alexander Bursary, Ms Marsh believes, is more than personal recognition, it is an opportunity to amplify collaboration across government, investment and primary production.
Above all, it is a chance for her to continue the work of a woman whose influence remains deeply embedded in Queensland’s AgTech community.
