Board
Chris Evans, Non-Executive Chairman
Chris began his forty year career in agriculture as a Jackeroo for Stanbroke Pastoral Company spending eleven years with the company progressing to Overseer, Station Manager and R&D Officer. In 1985, Chris joined Taylor Byrne, two years later rising to Managing Director, a position he held until 2002. Through the demerger of the Taylor Byrne Agribusiness management division, and in partnership with AACO, Chris formed Rural Management Partners (RMP). RMP grew to be one of the largest agricultural asset management firms in Australia at times running up to 120,000 cattle in Australia and Papua New Guinea. In 2009, RMP merged with Carthona Agriculture to form Agricultural Management Company.
Chris was the Project Director for the development of the Global Investment Strategy for the Qatar Investment Authority, and on the due diligence team for UK Private Equity firm, Terra Firma’s $435m purchase of Consolidated Pastoral Company. Chris is also Non-Executive Director of Consolidated Pastoral Company and has his own pastoral interests in central western Queensland.
Charlie Blomfield, Managing Director & CEO
Charlie started out as a Stationhand within his family’s mixed farming and grazing enterprise in southern Queensland before taking a role in the Operations team at RMP, assisting with the management of 120,000 cattle across twenty-four stations. In 2007, after four years with RMP, Charlie established Carthona Agriculture quickly growing the business to become a leading corporate advisory firm to agri-investor clients such as Warakirri Asset Management, AJ Lucas Group and Clyde Agriculture.
In 2009, Carthona Agriculture merged with RMP to form AMC, and Charlie assumed management control of the merged entity opening additional offices in Darwin and Sydney, as well as a representative office in Cairo, Egypt servicing the Middle East North Africa region. Charlie is a Graduate Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and holds Non-Executive Director roles with the Future Farmers Network and the Agribusiness Association of Australia.
Neil St. John (Ted) Raymond, Non-Executive Director
Ted Raymond has been actively involved in the financing, development, marketing, and property management of real estate in the Boston (USA) area for the past 35 years. In 1969, Mr. Raymond completed his first real estate development project at 21 Merchants Row in downtown Boston. The project marked the beginning of a long and successful series of real estate projects in Boston, for which Mr. Raymond has won several architectural design awards. Mr. Raymond has extensive experience in developing new-construction, large-scale projects, including the Carlton House / Ritz Carlton condominiums, Lawrence E. Martin Laboratories (a 650,000 square foot biomedical research facility); and Flagship Wharf (a 201-unit luxury condominium project), and Trinity Place (an 18 story residential high-rise in the Back Bay).
In total, Mr. Raymond has developed and managed $440 million worth of properties in the Boston area. As a result of Mr. Raymond's successful activities in the Charlestown Navy Yard and Back Bay over the past three decades, he has become widely acknowledged as an innovative leader in Boston's real estate industry. Ted maintains an interest in agricultural investments throughout Australia and South America.
Stephen Train, Alternative Non-Executive Director
Stephen Train is a practising lawyer with 30 years experience in commercial, tax and revenue, and corporation law in Australia and Papua New Guinea. Stephen is currently a director of EMC Aust Pty Ltd, a company operating a large commercial marina in Queensland.
Bruce Rathie, Advisor to the Board
Bruce Rathie has over 15 years experience in the finance industry with high profile, global investment banks (e.g Citibank, JPMorgan, Ord Minnett). He assumed responsibility as senior banker within Salomon Brothers for its’ role in the country’s largest transactions of the time including the privatization of Telstra, the $5.2 billion privatization of Commonwealth Bank and the $1.5 billion privatization of Qantas.
Bruce previously took on the role of a nominee director for CSIRO, titled Non Executive Director of Carbon Energy Pty Ltd. This is a commercialisation vehicle which is implementing coal gasification technology in the energy sector.
Bruce has over 15 years experience as an Executive Director and Non Executive Director of professional and commercial enterprises, both public and private, and has worked and operated in the international environment. This experience is amplified by his extensive operational and managerial experience in profit focused enterprises. Bruce holds an MBA and Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Law.
Clare Mazzetti, Advisor to the Board
Clare Mazzetti is the Head of Business Development and M&A Strategy with AMP Private Wealth and has previously worked for Goldman Sachs JB Were and ABN AMRO Morgans Ltd as an advisor and Macquarie Private Wealth as a Private Wealth Manager.
Clare was a Non‐Executive Director of the Australian Medical Association of QLD from 2003 – 2008 and during this time lead a successful grant application process to AusAid in order to fund and assist with the rebuilding efforts in the Pacific post the 2004 Tsunami, specifically focusing on Sri Lanka. The three year program outcomes ensured a long lasting improvement in healthcare services to high need communities.
Over the last ten years Clare has provided regular finance commentary to various media outlets, some of these include national publications such as Money Magazine, The Courier Mail (News Ltd), Shares Magazine, and Wealth Creator. Clare holds an MBA and a Bachelor of Economics.
