The Networking
This event is now closed for online registrations, if you are interested in attending please email kerrie@ausae.org.au.
We invite you to take a couple of hours out of your day to connect with others in the industry to discuss high level topics of real importance, develop new relationships and gain critical information. This is a rare opportunity to network with other CEOs and senior management professionals from charities, associations and other non-profit organisations. Ample opportunity will be given for you to discuss issues and network with others.
The Topic
In his address, Stephen will share his personal leadership journey, his challenges and commitment to growing and protecting the agriculture sector. He will discuss the challenges currently facing not-for-profits in an ever changing external environment. In particular, the landscape for WA Farmers has dramatically changed over Stephen's career span and he has seen the effects of these changes first hand and how the community is and has dealt with this.
Join us for an inspiring discussion and gain key learnings on leadership in an always changing external environment.
The Speaker - Stephen Brown, Chief Executive Officer, The Western Australian Farmers Federation (WA Farmers)
WAFarmers Chief Executive Officer Stephen Brown has had a long association with agriculture, which has spanned his entire life. Born, raised and educated in Narrogin – approximately 200 kilometres south east of Perth – Stephen left the town at age 18 to pursue a career with Wesfarmers in the big smoke.
Machinery, finance and entrepreneurship have remained Stephen’s passions since he began his working life. After five years working in these spaces with Wesfarmers, he became a finance broker specialising in agriculture, and worked in that capacity with various companies over the years. Following this he established and ran his own finance broking business, Agricultural Finance Broking, for approximately ten years until the mid-90s.
His interest and keen mind for the industry saw him establish an agricultural machinery importing and distribution business, which operated across the whole of Australia. This business was restructured and sold in 2007, opening up the opportunity for Stephen to re-join the financial world as a Rural and Regional Business Development Manager for Bankwest for a five-year period, before he restructured an agricultural machinery dealership for a multi-national owner. With this business selling in 2014, Stephen then assumed the position of CEO at WAFarmers later that year.
Stephen’s approach to encouraging people to work in agriculture is both pragmatic and encouraging. If you don’t have people producing food, the world will starve – it is as simple as that! Given this, he knows there will always be a need for agriculture and for people to work the land so that the world can not only survive, but thrive. There are so many direct and indirect career opportunities for people in agriculture right across the supply chain, particularly for young people, and this is something that Stephen passionately advocates for as CEO of the largest and most influential agricultural advocacy group in WA.
He also strongly believes that the long term friendships and relationships one can make in the agricultural industry are second-to-none. Even now, Stephen can list the names of a number of individuals he considers to have been his mentors as his career progressed, and still keeps in contact with them today. As a leader himself, Stephen recognises that leadership is not only about building, managing and working with a team to achieve the goals of a business, but also about inspiring and creating a dynamic vision for the future. This is why he continually encourages young people to enter and engage with the agricultural sector, particularly through AgConnectWA.
Stephen and his wife Fran currently live in Perth. He has two daughters, Kylie and Melissa, one grand-daughter, and another grand-child on the way.
Please register here online or click here to download an Event Registration form
