PROFILE: ICL
Getting the balance right with ICL By Matt Ross An interview with Regional Manager Vic/SA/Tas, Roger Boyle, and National Technical Manager, Dr Sam Stacey from ICL Specialty Fertilizers NGIV Bronze Industry Partner, ICL Specialty Fertilizers, is a company that truly values its people. They strive to fill their team with the right blend of expert knowledge and industry experience. It’s this combination that helps them to provide an outstanding service to their customers and build lasting, authentic relationships with them. We wanted to discover more about ICL’s approach to teamwork and the balance of knowledge and experience, so we caught up with their Regional Manager Vic/SA/Tas, Roger Boyle, and National Technical Manager, Dr Sam Stacey, to find out more.
Could you both provide a brief background on your respective career and educational paths to date? Roger – I’ve been in the horticultural industry for 40 years, beginning with a Nursery apprenticeship and then a focus on sales and marketing. With experience in wholesale, allied and retail aspects of the industry and long-standing business relationships, I hope I bring a balanced and educated view to my role. My positions over the years have included; Technical Representation, Sales Management, Business Development, General Management and Marketing. My business mantra is based on assisting businesses to become better businesses through informed solution solving practices, not just selling a product. I have been in my current role with ICL for two and a half years, and I love it.
Sam – I have a PhD in soil chemistry (nutrition) and an honours degree in Agricultural Science, both from Adelaide University. I was a scientist at Adelaide University for six years before joining ICL, mainly publishing on nutrient reactions in fertilisers, soils and uptake by crops. I have been fortunate to spend time working at the University of Arkansas in the USA and at Sabanci University in Turkey and have also visited and assisted nurseries, turf and crop production sites in many other countries. I have been at ICL for ten years, where I provide technical and regulatory support to the Australian and New Zealand business, and support colleagues based in Asia as needed.
And what would a typical day at ICL look like for you both? Roger – My role is to visit and consult with growers on their fertiliser and weed management practices and advise if there are options that could lead to a better result. I spend around 50 per cent of my time on the road servicing the needs of growers in Vic, SA and Tas, and the rest of the time in my home office in the SE suburbs. Although some of the calls I make are initiated directly, often a request comes from our distributor network and their in-field sales team. I try to be respectfully critical of grower practices because we are looking for opportunities to improve production or make it more efficient. Hopefully that means growers look on us as being a valuable contributor to their business. If I don’t have
The ICL Team in Sydney 2019 – The majority of the ICL ANZ team pre-covid when we could all meet in one spot!
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GROUNDSWELL AUGUST 2021
