Appointing a Chief Operating Officer for a Regional Agricultural Equipment Group

The Brief

Future Leadership™ was engaged by a privately owned agricultural equipment group headquartered in regional Victoria to appoint a Chief Operating Officer (COO). With a legacy dating back to 1957 and a footprint of 15 branches across Victoria and South Australia, the organisation is a recognised leader in delivering integrated farming solutions to broadacre, viticulture, horticulture, and grounds care sectors.

The COO role was newly created to support the organisation’s continued growth, operational excellence, and succession planning for the Managing Director. The business had recently expanded through strategic acquisitions and was navigating a dynamic sector landscape marked by seasonal variability, technological advancement, and evolving customer expectations.

The appointment required a commercially astute and operationally experienced leader capable of driving performance across sales, service, parts, and integrated solutions. The

successful candidate would also play a key role in shaping culture, strengthening stakeholder relationships, and positioning the organisation for long-term sustainability.

The Process

The Future Leadership team, led by David Baber and Josh Mullens met with the Managing Director and Head of People and Performance to define the success criteria, succession planning goals and operational priorities. The search strategy was designed to attract candidates with deep operational expertise and sector alignment.

A targeted candidate search was undertaken focussing on commercially astute and operationally experienced individuals capable of driving performance across sales, service, parts and integrated solutions. The search was supported by an online advertising campaign.

A shortlist of five candidates evaluated against key capabilities including financial acumen, risk management, stakeholder engagement, and leadership style was presented to the client. Four candidates progressed to panel interview presenting strategic insights and operational plans to the executive team, with reference checks and probity assessments conducted prior to final selection.

The Outcome

The process resulted in the appointment of a highly experienced Chief Operating Officer with over fifteen years’ success leading strategic growth, business transformation, and operational excellence. Bringing a strong track record from an adjacent sector with exposure to mining and large blue-collar workforces, the appointee also offered proven experience operating at significant scale. They resonated deeply with the organisation’s mission, and their broad commercial acumen across multiple industries positions them to deliver impact and long-term success.