Elders area manager WA - south, Matt Ericsson, Albany, has been announced as the company's new State general manager WA following the appointment of Nick Fazekas to a national role.
Elders executive general manager network Tom Russo, Adelaide, South Australia, said Mr Ericsson brought a wealth of knowledge to the role, having worked across various sectors of the business in merchandise, branch management and area management, since starting with Elders at Katanning in 2002.
"Matt is well regarded for his exceptional work ethic and values," Mr Russo said.
"He has consistently demonstrated a commitment to personal and professional development both within and outside Elders.
"His deep understanding of the network and strong leadership capability positions him well to take the Western Australia business to the next level."
Elders has 50 branches and 420 staff in WA across rural retail, real estate, livestock, wool, finance and insurance.
Mr Ericsson said it is a great privilege to be appointed to such a prestigious role within the company and he was looking forward to working more closely with the experienced WA senior leadership team, fantastic Statewide staff and extensive and loyal client base.
"Elders is a special company with a unique 184-year-old history, a well-recognised and trusted brand and strong internal culture which is very client and service-focused," Mr Ericsson said.
"We work hard at getting the right people into the right roles that can provide the necessary expertise and support to ensure the best results for our client base."
Mr Ericsson's passion for agriculture came from working on friend's and relative's properties as a child growing up in New South Wales, which led him to study and complete a Diploma of Applied Science Stock/Crop Production at Emerald Agricultural College in Queensland.
"Since joining Elders I have been afforded a lot of opportunities to advance my career including study programs such as the Outback Initiatives Leadership Program, Australian Agribusiness Leadership Program and Elders Senior Leaders Program," he said.
"One of my interests is to develop others in our business to also progress both professionally and personally."
"We, like our clients, are currently faced with some challenges and head winds at the moment with livestock markets and commodity pricing fluctuations, but we are in it together and we will continue to assist our clients through these industry and seasonal cycles.
"We will continue to look at suitable acquisitions and pursuing quality people where we see gaps in the market or expansion opportunities to further strengthen our geographic footprint in Western Australia and drive more revenue for the business".
"And we will continue to show our support of rural communities through our new builds and upgrades of regional branches, the most recent being the completion of our new Beverley branch."
Mr Ericsson said technology and its use for better function and efficiency would be an important part of his role but said there would never be a substitute for face-to-face contact.
"We are not just a transactional business, we are a relationships business," he said.
Mr Ericsson will continue to live in Albany with his wife Michelle, daughter Felicity, 17 and son Scott, 15.
His replacement in the role of area manager WA - south, will be advertised soon.
Mr Fazekas, who was State general manager WA since October 2019 and led the team to more than double WA's EBIT during this time, has been appointed executive general manager rural products.
He will be responsible for strengthening and expanding the Elders retail and rural products offering, overseeing the national supply chain, procurement and category management functions including oversight of its crop protection businesses - Titan AG and new formulation and product development arm Eureka, the purchase of which was finalised this week
Mr Fazekas, who will maintain a strong focus on innovation and the customer experience, will continue to be based in Perth.
