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20/12/2022
Passionate about supporting farmers in the region, as well as each other, it’s the strength in experience and numbers across Rabobank’s Perth and Merredin team that makes it so special.
As a bank dedicated to agriculture, Area Manager Tracey McFarlane believes the strong culture within the team reflects the fact that staff all work in an industry they love.
“The majority of our team have a rural background, and all have a true love of agriculture. It’s a privilege to be 100 per cent focused on agriculture, so it’s all about our farmers.
With four senior managers, Geoff Adams, Huw Evans, Murray Carlson and Andy Denniss between the branches, Tracey said this equated to over 120 years of experience – 150 counting her own experience.
“We are fortunate to have so many life-long rural managers. Likewise, we have bright young managers such as Dan Cransberg and Jock Stewart who bring a refreshing energy to the team, and the joy of learning from our senior staff.
However, the greatest advantage of working in a large team, Tracey believed, was the ability to genuinely support farming clients.
“If our clients are looking at an acquisition, we’re here to act in their best interest, working together to get the right information to the right people for a fast turnaround.”
Even for non-urgent issues, Tracey said the beauty of such a large team was that managers can be on-farm with clients, discussing business around the kitchen table, while a support team of analysts – Claire Barnetson, Victor Tangaris, Angus McLarty and Hilda Mapotaringa – are getting things done in the background.
“We’re proud to work with the calibre of clients that we do, as business partners,” Tracey said. “The advantage of retaining and developing good people is that we can build genuine relationships, often working with our clients’ accountants and consultants to form a dynamic team – providing value, options and direction for our clients.”
Optimism prevails within the region’s agricultural industry, and Tracey said there was space for growth within the bank’s portfolio.
“It’s heartening to know that we have the people to lead that growth, with depth of knowledge and support locally, as well as from Rabobank’s unique global network of analysts.
“The beauty of having good people – and lots of them – is that we can hit the ground running, and be very efficient at it.”