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senior leadership team.

He was responsible for LIC’s laboratories, farms and the field teams that deliver services on farm, including artificial breeding, herd testing and the FarmWise consultancy.

LIC is a complex business with several moving parts and having been in such a variety of roles gave him a good grounding for the chief executive role, he says.

The farmer connection, with LIC being owned by shareholders, gives the business a different feel compared to a more conventionally run business.

“How it all fits together is really important. It sets you up well,” he says.

Being asked to lead LIC’s transformation in 2016 played a big role in setting him up to be chief executive.

“It was very successful and was right across the business, taking very much a CEO type of view of how do we get all parts of the business operating.”

The transformation occurred just after the dairy payout fell to $3.90/kg MS.

Chin also held a key accounts role in 2012, which enabled him to talk to large multi-herd operators and hear their views of the dairy industry.

“It was an amazing experience and that was bringing together all of LIC for the benefit of customers and farmers.”

After that, he led LIC’s central North Island sales team, and those two roles gave him experience of the breadth of the business and the value it can provide to farmers.

Chin, along with his wife and three children, lives on a lifestyle block near Cambridge.

“When I’m not thinking about farming during the week, I’m thinking about farming on the weekend,” he laughs.

He is also a volunteer rugby union referee for club and schoolboy games, clocking up 20 years this year.

“That’s a big part of every Saturday for me.” n