A FAMILIAR face in WA finance and real estate circles, has been appointed as Elders new senior real estate executive - rural.
Simon Cheetham, who has most recently been working as a real estate sales representative in the eastern Wheatbelt, based in Merredin, started in the new Perth-based role this week.
"There is a lot of change in the industry at the moment and this is an exciting opportunity to be a part of that," Mr Cheetham said.
"I have always been passionate about farming and real estate and this provides a good challenge involving both.
"Elders is a long-time recognised brand which has a strength and consistency about it and a definite ongoing focus on its real estate business."
Mr Cheetham said as a real estate rep he loved dealing with buyers and sellers to achieve good outcomes for both.
"Selling a property, especially family farms, is a big moment in people's lives so to be providing guidance and marketing strategies to help them through that is really significant," he said.
"The role of a rural real estate agent is challenging but incredibly rewarding."
While the new role will still encompass sales, Elders zone real estate manager - west, Drew Cary, said it would be on a broader and more corporate scale and involve providing leads generation and marketing strategy initiatives to assist the Elders real estate team as a whole.
"Simon brings all the hallmarks and qualities of a good rep with proven performance in the field, but his youthfulness also brings fresh eyes to growing the marketing and technological side of our business," Mr Cary said.
"His role will in part be to provide information and resources to assist current real estate team members to improve their performance, but also to develop stronger relationships with the corporate sector.
"There is no doubt the world situation has highlighted the need to be flexible, to be able to connect with people differently and the importance of our digital capability.
"We have perhaps been a bit slow in our take-up of technology in the past and Simon certainly brings these skills to the table," Mr Cary said.
"We need to find new ways to make doing business easier for people in the future.
"We are a service provider and with other non-traditional competitors who already have existing relationships in the farming sector starting to operate in the real estate space we have to work better and offer more to remain relevant."
Mr Cheetham grew up on the family sheep and cropping farm north east of Nyabing and has recently purchased a portion of it which he leases.
He completed senior schooling at WA College of Agriculture, Narrogin, where he was named dux in 2002.
This was also where Mr Cheetham got his first taste of working for Elders in a short stint of work experience at Elders Katanning.
In 2003 he spent a gap year on the farm before starting a three-year agribusiness and marketing degree at Muresk Agricultural College, Northam.
While there he was named the inaugural Blackwood Agricultural Scholarship winner ahead of almost 40 applicants and graduated in 2006.
In 2007, Mr Cheetham joined Landmark (now Nutrien) at Albany as a rural finance officer, followed by three years at Merredin as its agribusiness manager and two years in the same role with ANZ at Albany.
He joined the Landmark (Nutrien) real estate team at Merredin in 2012 and was its leading sales rep in 2019 for highest overall sales.
During this time he and his wife Amanda (nee Shadbolt), lived in Mukinbudin with their two young daughters Anna, 6 and Farah, 5, but will now relocate to Perth with the new role.
Simon can be contacted on 0428 147 359 or email simon.cheetham@ elders.com.au