Agribuzz returned from a long break with an evening get together in central Sydney with long-time senior agribusiness chief John Maher bringing his corporate wisdom to the crowd.
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John Maher has been at the helm of many major rural companies including managing director and Chief Executive of Ruralco, Group Executive Manager at Wesfarmers and AWB leading the Landmark (now Nutrien) business. He also led the Indigenous Land Corporation and gave it new direction, during that part of his career where he wanted "to give back to society". He now sits on many boards.
He is greatly respected in the rural business sector and is seen as a major mentor for people in agribusiness with his long and successful career.
He told the NSW Farm Writer's Agribuzz gathering that the secret of company success was to do what you did best, but be clearly different. "You have to be clear on the purpose of the organisation," he said. "You don't want to get your messages mixed up."
He helped many companies by making sure their investments were prudently placed to gather the most returns.
It was also a matter of picking the right people for certain roles. "It's also important how you make them feel, and that they feel part of the journey." Strategy was important and it was often "what you don't do rather than what you do do."
He saw a huge future for e-commerce in agriculture as nations come out of the post-pandemic phase. Australia was well-placed in this area.
The event was hosted by FTI Consulting.
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John Ellicott
journalist and author
journalist and author
