In Episode 59,“Do It for the Right Reasons”, Blenheim Partners’ Gregory Robinson speaks to Mark Allison, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Elders Ltd. He is also currently Chair of Agribusiness Australia, AuctionsPlus, the Agriculture and Natural Resources End-User Advisory Board of the SmartSat CRC, the Agrifood and Wine Advisory Board of Adelaide University, a Non-Executive Director of GrainGrowers Ltd and a member of the Rabobank Food and Agriculture Advisory Board. Previously, Mark was the CEO of GrainGrowers Ltd, Jeminex Ltd, Farmoz, Wesfarmers Landmark Ltd, Wesfarmers CSBP Ltd and CropCare Australasia.
In a straightforward conversation, Mark, now in his seventh CEO position, shares his thoughts on real leadership and just running things properly. We gain an insight into one of the most successful turnaround stories in business. During Mark’s current tenure of just over six years, Elders has grown from a market capitalisation of $50m to $1.8bn. From the droughts to the bushfires, politicking to pragmatism and innovation to infrastructure, Greg and Mark examine the facts and get to the heart of the matter. Not only do we learn about creating a corporate culture that delivers, but we also get a peek into Mark’s creative process as a musician, which has yielded 144 songs across nine albums under the moniker “Mallison”.