Kerry Anderson was raised in a small business family in Central Victoria, and is the founder of the Operation Next Gen Program, working with rural towns across Australia encouraging them to look at existing landscapes with fresh eyes and to adapt to change. In 2017 Kerry was invited to Kansas City by the Kauffman Foundation to represent Australia and share best practice in building collaborative entrepreneurship ecosystems with fellow practitioners. In 2018 she was recognised with the inaugural 8point8 Regional Australia Innovation Ecosystem Leader Award and named a Top 50 Australian Regional Agent-of-Change. Her two adult children have learnt from their mother, establishing successful rural-based businesses.