Life at Elders - Elders Rural Services

We’re One Elders

From Jamestown to Gatton, Midland to Echuca, our business stretches across the vast Australian landscape. Elders has been proudly supporting Australian agriculture for 180 years, working with our clients and partners to unlock innovation and potential throughout rural Australia. Remote communities and the people within them are the lifeline of our business – they’re our neighbours, our mates, and our clients, and it’s our priority to support them. Through our community program Elders Give It our partners of choice are beyondblue, and the Royal Flying Doctor Service for the exceptional support they provide right across Australia.

Power of Pink

Supporting the Community

A Career for Everyone

Women in agriculture

Elders recognises the value of a diverse workforce, being a critical lever in attracting, retaining and leveraging a broader talent pool to most effectively deliver organisational results for the benefit of shareholders, employees and customers.

Women make a significant contribution to the Australian agriculture and Elders is proud to highlight just a few examples of women in our network and their contributions in our employee career stories below.

Elders is committed to achieving greater gender balance levels across the organisation and a career with Elders means you will have access to:

Flexible work practices to assist with the differing needs of employees, facilitating the integration of personal and professional commitments
Opportunities to develop leadership experience and skills
Access to a network of professionals and specialists in the agriculture industry
Reward and recognition including corporate discounts

Elders employee career stories

Kris Teakle - Real Estate Sales Representative, Rural, Midland

Kris Teakle I grew up on a wheat and sheep farm in Northampton, from a very young age I was dad’s shadow, following him around whenever I could. Even now my heart and soul is in the land, when I jump in my car and get out of the city I instantly breathe a sigh of relief. As many country kids did, I went to boarding school, I didn’t know it at the time, but the lasting friendships I made at boarding school would open doors and create networks for me professionally as an adult. After finishing school, the first job I received was selling media subscriptions in Australia and abroad, this launched my sales career. After returning back to Australia I dabbled in various industries across hospitality, finance, and retail, continuing to build on my sales experience.

Eventually I married a farmer and we made our home in Dandaragan, together we farmed, had four beautiful children, and built the Cervantes Tavern. Time passed, and after 11 years of marriage, and moving back to the city to raise the kids, I obtained my real estate registration and started in residential sales, eventually I sold more lifestyle properties, and finally rural. Without realising it the networks, connections, experience farming coupled with my experience in sales lead me to successfully finding my niche in rural real estate.

I find the Elders network allows me the freedom of getting in and getting the job done, I enjoy working with down to earth people, the comradery and working together as a team. As a female rural real estate representative for over 14 years I have seen a shift in perceptions in the way females are impacting in agriculture, daughters are taking over the farms, I see more women in agronomy and farmers are working smarter not harder. I see a bright future for women in agriculture, we can be mothers, working professionals, farmers, innovators, and entrepreneurs, I truly believe that women are an integral part of agriculture, with an abundant mentality we can all benefit from what the industry has to offer and also what we can offer the industry.

Olivia Richardson - General Manager People and Culture, Melbourne

Olivia Richardson My career in HR has spanned both the public and private sectors, across various industries, and also abroad. Returning to Australia, after five years in London, the first position I took when I came home was with Elders in Adelaide for a 12 month fixed term contract. I had never worked in Agricultural and thought I would give it 12 months. 12 years on, after 3 stints of maternity leave, I am the General Manager of People and Culture.

What drew me in to Elders was our people – they are genuine, authentic, down to earth and believe in giving everyone a fair go. I am really pleased to see women in Ag role model diversity every day by being appointed on merit into what are sometimes considered ‘non-traditional’ roles for females, and then demonstrate they can do a great job. I think perceptions are changing about male and female roles in the home, in raising a family, and in working flexibly.

Being at the helm of the People and Culture function, I can influence decisions around things like recruitment decisions, maternity and paternity leave pay and flexible work arrangements. I think offering flexibility and the ability to blend work commitments with commitments outside of work goes a long way towards supporting diversity at all levels.

Find out more about career opportunities with Elders.

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