It's a new year and a new national leader has been appointed for Ray White Rural and Livestock with a mandate to develop new technologies, support youth into the industry and expand the network of offices rapidly.
The recent appointment of Stephen Nell, the company's CEO of Ray White's residential sales business in New South Wales to the role of national CEO in the rural and livestock division is the first step, according to chairman Paul White (the grandson of the Ray White, the company's namesake).
"Stephen grew the NSW residential network from 85 offices to over 250 in ten years. He has a proven track record in picking the best agents for an area and driving market share across multiple locations," Mr White said.
Mr Nell's rural heritage - the son of a cattle buyer in Orange - and passion for agriculture (he spends half his time at his farm in Milthorpe) made him the straightforward choice as leader to execute the company's strategy.
"Stephen has entered into partnership with the White family which is a testament to his relationship with the company and long-standing success.”
Mr Nell says the company has three key focusses for the year ahead.
"We're relatively young in this space, so we're in a prime position to be a modern alternative to the traditional brands. We're ramping up our e-marketing and investing heavily in technology to make the process of buying and selling farms and livestock easier and more fluid," Mr Nell said.
"We're also highly aware that it's near on impossible for young auctioneers and livestock agents to go out on their own. We want to make it easier for talented young people to carve their own future out, by providing the funding solutions that make that possible."
"Finally, we're more focussed on identifying and approaching the very best rural and livestock agents in Australia to expand the footprint. We've 70 fine franchisees nationwide now, but we're determined to grow that this year."
Stephen Nell will remain as chairman of Ray White in New South Wales with Jason Andrew and Andrew Crauford assuming CEO responsibilities for that network.
