BORN and raised in Perth and with a commerce degree in public relations and management, most wouldn't have expected Georgia Wood, 25, to pursue a career in agri-finance.
For Ms Wood an interest in finance came first.
In her final year at Curtin University, she landed a job as a bank teller at ANZ Cannington.
Ms Wood stayed with the bank for two and a half years and moved through various roles at different branches, eventually ending up as an agricultural assistant manager with ANZ in the Perth CBD.
That was her door into the agricultural industry, as before that she had had no prior exposure to the industry.
Ms Wood now works for Westpac as an agribusiness manager and has been in the role for 18 months.
While she has found that agriculture is a tight-knit industry with most people having generational knowledge and experience, she said the sector was welcoming to someone new who was keen to learn about the industry.
But it hasn't been an easy climb.
"Learning about agriculture was very challenging at first," Ms Wood said.
"I have found that everyone has been welcoming, a lot of customers love to see someone who is not from a farm, or the country for that matter, in agri-finance.
"I don't think there are enough people without an agricultural background in the industry, but I like being a driver for change in seeing more non-ag people and also more young women in agri-finance."
As Ms Wood's qualification is not in finance nor agriculture, she's had to do a lot of learning on her feet.
But drawing on her degree, which focused a lot on communication, has come in handy and a lot of her role is based on effective communication between customers, her employer and the industry.
"While it is helpful to have agricultural knowledge, I'm not there to be an ag expert - I'm there to be the banker," she said.
"My degree has helped in being able to effectively deliver a message and I've found that being a banker is actually not so much about numbers, although that is part of it.
"My job really focuses on managing client relationships, maintaining a strong presence in the agricultural industry, problem solving and being a mediator in helping the customer achieve what they want from the bank."
Ms Wood handles a portfolio of rural and regional clients throughout the Wheatbelt, which often takes her on the road.
Her day-to-day duties include completing lending proposals to assist clients with working capital funding and property and equipment finance purchases, along with introducing new relationships to the bank.
"Anything clients need from a banking perspective, I can assist them with, which involves me working alongside a national team of specialists," she said.
It's commonly said that many people fall within one of two groups - being good with numbers or being a people person.
And while Ms Wood enjoys crunching numbers for her clients, she definitely described herself more as a people person - in fact connecting with people is her favourite part of her job.
"Building relationships with clients and getting to travel out to their farms is by far the best part of this job," she said.
"I get to see first-hand what clients are doing and I get a deeper appreciation for how important the work they do is.
"I also enjoy that I get to be part of an industry that is feeding and clothing not only Australia, but other parts of the world.
"The agriculture industry is an important part of communities and economies, both domestically and internationally."
As Ms Wood has come to appreciate agriculture more, her passion for the industry has also grown and she hopes that the important role that agriculture plays in Australia and more broadly across the world, becomes more recognised and celebrated.
"I hope that education about the agricultural industry continues to be a focus, particularly with the younger generations," she said.
However, agri-finance hasn't always been all smooth sailing for Ms Wood with the challenge of both a new job and COVID-19 plunging her into the deep end, but ultimately this ended up being a year of great personal and professional growth.
Just three weeks into the job she completed her training and relocated to Northam to be closer to her customers.
Still feeling very green in agriculture, Ms Wood was living in a country town where she knew no one.
Then COVID hit and WA went into lockdown.
The local sporting competitions she planned to join to establish some new friendships were all cancelled and she was working from home.
"It was a really tough time," she said.
"It definitely made me a lot more resilient and confident in my ability to stand on my own two feet, no matter what life threw my way."
Although the most challenging part of her career so far, Ms Wood also saw living regionally during the pandemic as a highlight.
"It showed me that life is rewarding outside of your comfort zone and you can always do things you might never have thought you could do," she said.
Historically, agri-finance has been a male-dominated sector, but that hasn't put Ms Wood off making her mark.
"Like any industry, it can be challenging being different to the 'norm', but it is an exciting opportunity to encourage other young women to enter and develop within the industry," she said.
"I have always found most people to be encouraging, including myself, to young females who want to stick their hand up and build their career within agriculture.
"It would be great to see more young women working in agri-finance - I think that's imperative to the future success of agriculture and finance."
As for what lies ahead, Ms Wood feels right at home in agri-finance for now and into the future.
"Medium-term, I see myself continuing to learn and develop in my current role with the Westpac agribusiness team," she said.
"In the long-term, I see myself in a leadership position, hopefully still within the agriculture industry.
"I think it's important for other young and aspiring women to see future leaders within the industry, such as Anita Ratcliffe, who is the regional general manager for Westpac."
Ms Wood looks up to Ms Ratcliffe as a mentor, describing her as "a driver for change".
As a person who had no prior exposure to agriculture, this young gun wants to encourage other young people to consider a career in agriculture and, like she did, grab onto opportunities when they see them.
"There is such a breadth of opportunities available," Ms Wood said.
"My biggest tip would be to develop your networking skills and get involved in the industry.
"Attend events, meet different people and understand where the gaps or areas of opportunity are - find out what you're interested in most about the industry and where you could add value."
