Caitlin McConnel

2024 Australian Finalist

Caitlin McConnel is a sixth-generation farmer at Cressbrook Station near Toogoolawah, which is Queensland's oldest identified family business and one of the oldest in Australia. Settled in July 1841 by her great-great-great-grandfather, Caitlin is the first female to own and operate the family business, which now includes commercial beef cattle, boxed beef, pastured eggs, raw honey, and agrivoltaics with a focus on nutrient density using improved pasture and cell-grazing practices.

Caitlin combines deep practical on-farm experience with a strong legal and governance background having worked as a litigator and environmental lawyer at Australian law firm Clayton Utz until December 2024. In April 2025, Caitlin was appointed the first female chairperson of the Queensland Rural and Industry Development Authority (QRIDA), which for over 30-years has been a specialist provider of financial assistance, advisory support and disaster assistance programs, currently valued at over $1 billion, on behalf of state, territory, and Commonwealth government agencies throughout Queensland. As a passionate advocate for climate-smart land management, regional resilience, and youth engagement in agriculture, Caitlin is also actively involved in national and international conversations pertaining to climate resilience, multi-purpose land use and food security as a guest speaker, as well as through formal roles with Cattle Australia and the Queensland Law Society. Caitlin is a former non-executive director, chairperson, or committee member of other agricultural organisations including the Future Farmers Network, the Royal National Agricultural & Industrial Association of Queensland (RNA) Future Directions Committee, the RNA Foundation, RRR Women, and Agribusiness Australia.

In 2024, Caitlin was recognised as one of the most influential lawyers in Australasia for her extraordinary impact on the profession; was an Australian finalist for the 2024 Zanda McDonald Award, and was awarded the St Margaret's Anglican Girls' School Young Past Student of Distinction Award. In 2025, Caitlin was recognised as a young business leader and innovator as one of Queensland's 40 Under 40, and also received the Rural & Regional Award which is presented to a finalist who demonstrates influence and leadership in contributing to the prosperity of a rural or regional business and community.