FORMER Birchip Cropping Group boss Alexandra Gartmann will take up the job as managing director of Adelaide-based Rural Bank.
Rural Bank, a subsidiary of the Bendigo and Adelaide Bank group, has been run by managing director Paul Hutchinson for the past four years and last year increased its customer base with the addition of Victoria's Rural Finance Corporation loan book.
The agriculturally-based banking business employs nearly 300 staff, many working in partnership with Elders farm services agencies, and handling 10.5 per cent of the national farm debt market with a loan book of approximately $5.5 billion.
Ms Gartman, a current Rural Bank director and the head of the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal, will take over from Mr Hutchinson in late October.
She headed up the Birchip Group for 10 years before moving to FRRR - an organisation focused on building the economic and social strength of rural Australia - and is also a past director of the Rural Finance Corporation.
Ms Gartmann is also currently chairman of CISRO Agriculture Flagship Advisory Council, a member of the Prime Minister's Community Business Partnership, the Victorian Agriculture Advisory Council, the Crawford Fund and the La Trobe University Bendigo Regional Advisory Board.
Mr Hutchinson, who announced his resignation in March, has been in his current role for nine years.
Rural Bank chairman Ross Pinney said Ms Gartmann would bring extensive agricultural knowledge and a career in industry leadership to Rural Bank.
"Alexandra is passionate about agricultural and rural communities and has made a valuable contribution to rural Australia as CEO of FRRR as well as through her involvement with an array of agricultural board and advisory positions," he said.
"We are looking forward to Alexandra utilising her diverse skill set and immense agricultural experience to drive Rural Bank forward and continue our mission to help the Australian agribusiness sector grow and succeed."
In 2005 she was named Equity Trustees' Not-For-Profit CEO of the Year for Significant Innovation and is a past Telstra Business Women's Award Finalist.
Her past roles have also included membership of the National Rural Advisory Council, the Australian Landcare Council and the Regional Telecommunications Independent Review Committee and consulting work on an AusAID project in north western China between 2002 and 2005.
