To The Core inspires boardroom hopefuls

Participants keen to learn and speakers primed to inspire made To The Core 2021 a big success in preparing tomorrow’s co-operative leaders for the challenges ahead.

The 23 potential boardroom leaders who attended June’s To The Core governance and leadership programme, which Farmlands runs in partnership with Silver Fern Farms, came away full of praise for the calibre of speakers and the knowledge gained during the 3-day event in Christchurch. Smaller group sessions on the second day were a highlight, with many relishing the opportunity to question the Four-person panel of directors and senior company executives. These included Silver Fern Farms independent director Jane Taylor, Miraka chairman Kingi Smiler, Alliance South chair Stuart Heal and retired Silver Fern Farms director Trevor Burt. All serve on several boards. The interaction enabled the attendees, from diverse backgrounds and representing every region of New Zealand, to hear first-hand the panel’s views on governance, leadership and the challenges ahead for tomorrow’s co-operative leaders. Day 1 kicked off with an introduction by Farmlands and Silver Fern Farms senior leaders and a word from To The Core alumnus Will Clarke, who reflected on how the programme had helped introduce him to the world of governance and getting on a board of directors. Farmlands Director Warren Parker and Chairman Rob Hewett spoke about how an effective board functions and the important flow-on effects decisions made have for the business. Keynote speaker was Fulton Hogan chair Dean Hamilton, who is also a non-executive director of Auckland International Airport, The Warehouse Group and Tappenden Holdings. Dean retired in 2018 as Silver Fern Farms chief executive. He shared insights into his journey from management to governance, dealing with disruption and all the homework he does on a company before getting involved in its board. “New Zealand is a small place so I invariably ask current board members how is life on that board?” Dean said. “You want to meet with the other directors. It’s also useful to see their strategy document and some board papers. These directorship roles are long-term commitments so you need to be clear on what you are getting into.” Silver Fern Farms CEO Simon Limmer explained how he works with the chair and the board to deliver on the company’s strategy. He spoke about his time in France, his move home and some of the challenges the business is facing, as well as the opportunities. Simon said that as CEO, you are the pivot between management and the board and people often “tell you what you want to hear, rather than what you need to hear”. Jacinta Stevenson and her husband Jim farm sheep and beef across two properties near Middlemarch, Otago, while raising their children Tessa, Max and Belle. With 40,000 stock units across 7000ha, theirs is no small operation. Jacinta said she picked up on several ideas and recommendations that would help her be more strategic

| Big success: participants and speakers at To The Core 2021.

while leading her team of seven. “I’m more of an operational person so it was great to learn how to take a step back and look at things from a more strategic level,” Jacinta said. “The sheer calibre of speakers was really impressive, seeing how many different hats they wear and I really enjoyed learning about their journeys, which were all quite different. “Keeping a level head and an open mind and having diversity of thought among board members is something that really resonated with me and I think that’s also important for farmers in general, considering all the challenges and opportunities that we’re facing and focusing more on the opportunities.” Northland dairy farm director and Fonterra supplier, Farmlands and SFF shareholder Suzanne Brocx, who with her husband farms 650 dairy cows across three properties, says she learned a lot and really valued the smaller group sessions. These allowed her to question current directors and learn from their experiences, both good and bad. She particularly enjoyed the insight shared by Miraka chairman Kingi Smiler. “I found the directors were really candid, they didn’t sugar-coat some of their more challenging experiences that they had on various boards over the years,” Suzanne said. “I appreciated the acknowledgement that diversity on a board doesn’t just necessarily mean having a mix of gender and ethnicities but that it’s more about diversity of thought. I’m NZ/ Pasifika by birth and see myself adding value because of the skills I bring, not because of my ethnicity and because I am a woman. I totally recommend this course to those looking to upskill in leadership or governance.”

Cream of the crop

Farmlands Director of External Relations Mark McHardy and Silver Fern Farms Shareholder Relations Manager Clark Taylor labelled the event a success. “The high quality of the 23 participants selected from 84 applications ensured the level of involvement and engagement was outstanding,” Mark said. “The increased focus this year of including extra workshop panel sessions proved to be a hit with the group, enabling quality discussion and interaction with the team of high-quality speakers assembled.” Mark said that the partnership with Silver Fern Farms was key to the event’s success, as was the support of Agmardt, whose funding provided the resource required to create a “meaningful and quality programme”. Others who contributed time to the programme included Farmlands Head of Card Partnerships – Regional Renee DeLuca, Farmlands Acting Chief Executive Kevin Cooney, Farmlands Independent Director and Chair of Audit and Risk Julie Bohnenn, Silver Fern Farms Director Tim Gibson, Decipher Group Director Leanne Crozier and NZX Head of Insight Julia Jones.

Keeping a level head and an open mind and having diversity of thought among board members is something that really resonated with me.”

| The programme featured a mix of smaller group sessions and guest speakers.