Hortgro Chairman’s Award 2026 | Lindi Benić

The Hortgro Chairman’s Award honours individuals who have made exceptional contributions to the deciduous fruit industry – either through long-term service or outstanding achievement in their fields.

Winner: Lindi Benić

Lindi is a worthy recipient of this award on both counts, having started her sojourn with the then Deciduous Fruit Producers Trust and now Hortgro in September 1999, some 27 years ago, and excelling in her service to the industry.

So how would you sum up Lindi in brief? Brief doesn’t reflect who Lindi is, so you can indulge a little. So here goes … focused, dedicated, passionate, thorough, intense, proactive, traffic expert; networker of note, reliable, knowledge source, detailed, expert, connected, loyal, family-centric, and Lindi likes to have her say and has something to say … of relevance and value!

Lindi, with her background in pathology, entered the deciduous fruit industry when she left a research post at Kirstenbosch to take up a position at the ARC, where she conducted applied research as a post-harvest pathologist, focusing on packhouse sanitation and related areas.

In 1999, Lindi was asked to represent the industry at a conference in South America on food safety, which led her to take up a newly created position within DFPT. The role covered a broad range of areas and evolved into her current post as Manager of Trade and Market Access Affairs for both Hortgro and SATI.

Lindi mapped the relevant aspects and set up systems and structures to support key aspects of market access and food safety. She built a strong support team of experts to drive market access, opening new markets and maintaining existing ones, and was instrumental in all the market access successes – mostly behind the scenes, slogging away and working through all the detail that is required. She earned the respect of Department of Agriculture officials and technical staff, and anyone who dealt with Lindi, because of her deep knowledge, diligence, and desire to help people.

Along with Suzette and with the support of a multitude of chemical companies and her Crop Protection Advisory Group, Lindi developed the industry MRL List, or the “Industry Guideline Information on Restrictions on the Use of Plant Protection Products” for deciduous fruit that was updated annually, with versions 1, 2 and even 3 within a particular year.

It is not possible to list all the areas where Lindi has made an impact.  Her legacy will live on, as she has established a sound foundation for the next generation to build on.  Lindi will not be easily forgotten, and rest assured, she will approach the next phase of her life with the same vigour that earned her Springbok colours in underwater polo.  Hopefully, she will cycle her bike a little more often or do an extra hour or three of yoga.

Good speed, Lindi; you have left your mark on us all!