Dr Angeline Achariya has been inducted into the 2025 Victorian Honour Roll of Women, a recognition of her two-decade career pushing boundaries in agriculture, food innovation, and sustainable systems. Her name joins 23 other women recognised for their contributions across fields such as healthcare, justice, and community service.
The Honour Roll, which began in 2001, acknowledges the impact of Victorian women, including trans and gender-diverse people, who have made lasting contributions to their fields and communities. For Dr Achariya, this is a milestone that reflects years of work reshaping how Australia thinks about food systems and the people behind them.
Dr Achariya currently serves on the Industry Innovation and Science Australia Board and chairs the Asia Pacific chapter of G100 Mission Million on Food Systems Innovation and Resilience. She also co-hosts the Women Transforming Food podcast, continuing her advocacy for collaboration in science and business.
“I’ve commercialised over 1,200 food innovations globally and I’m just getting started,” she said. “Most people don’t realise that feeding 8 billion people while healing our planet requires us to completely reimagine how we innovate. That’s where I come in.”
She is best known for co-founding the Monash Food Innovation Centre, described as a “world-first industry collaborative hub” that has connected research to real-world commercial solutions. The centre began as the Mondelez International Food Innovation Centre, an initiative she led to support the revitalisation of Australia’s food and beverage sector. It was later transitioned to Monash University in 2016 as a neutral innovation services startup.
Dr Achariya is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, and the Australian Institute of Food Science and Technology. She was named a “Superstar of STEM” in 2025 and received the “Women of the Decade” award in 2024.
Her work spans major global markets including Japan, China, Thailand, New Zealand and Australia. She has led teams across product innovation, strategy, market expansion, and R&D. More than 800 food products launched under her leadership have reached grocery shelves and quick service restaurants, through companies such as Masterfoods Japan, Fonterra, Yum! Brands and Mondelez International.
“Collaborate, co-create together, and grow the ecosystem to commercialise innovations that scale sustainably,” is the mantra she lives by. “For 20+ years, I’ve been the connector bringing together industry, researchers, startups, farmers, and governments to turn breakthrough science into market reality.”
Her influence stretches beyond the lab and boardroom. Dr Achariya has contributed to key advisory boards including Victoria’s Food & Fibre strategy (2015), the Wine Australia Board, Australia’s Economic Accelerator, and the Australian Institute of Food Science and Technology. She has also worked with the Victoria Multicultural Business Ministerial Council and the Australia China Business Council’s Agribusiness Forum.
Mentoring is another area where she has left a mark. She has supported emerging leaders and spoken frequently about the need for gender diversity in STEM fields. Her continued involvement in public forums and advisory roles suggests she has no plans to slow down.
“The planetary shifts we’re facing aren’t just challenges,” she said. “They’re the biggest innovation opportunity of our lifetime. The future belongs to those who can imagine it, design it, and execute it.”
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