Rabobank has announced the appointment of Peter Evans as state manager for South Australia and the Northern Territory.
Mr Evans takes over from Roger Matthews, who has held the role since 2016 and is taking on new responsibilities as the bank's head of Commercial Analytics.
In this role, Mr Evans will be in charge of Rabobank's rural banking operations across South Australia, the Northern Territory and also have responsibility for its business in north-west Victoria.
He moves into the position from Rabobank's Victoria/Tasmania team, where he has been head of Relationship Management.
Announcing the appointment, Rabobank group executive for Country Banking Australia, Marcel van Doremaele said Mr Evans was an experienced leader with a comprehensive understanding of, and dedication to, agriculture and agribusiness banking.
"Peter joined Rabobank 21 years ago, beginning in our Esperance branch in a rural manager role, which led him to leading the Riverina team as a regional manager. And prior to his current role with the Victoria/Tasmania team, he was responsible for delivering a range of digital solutions for the bank," he said.
"Peter has a deep knowledge of agriculture, as well as a strong understanding of the banking and financial requirements of agricultural producers."
Mr van Doremaele said Mr Evans' leadership capabilities, along with his experience in a range of farming regions across Australia, made him ideally well suited to lead Rabobank's operations in South Australia, the Northern Territory and north-west Victoria."
Mr Evans, who commenced in his new role this month, said he was excited to be taking on the leadership of Rabobank's operations in "one of the nation's most dynamic agricultural regions – working with innovative grain enterprises, high rainfall dairy operations, northern beef producers, sheep, lamb and wool producers and irrigation-based businesses along the Murray River".
"Rabobank has a long connection in the region, with a large geographical footprint covering a diverse range of farming businesses. And there is a deep expertise within the local Rabo team to support these businesses," Mr Evans said. "Excitingly, we also have an emerging cohort of bankers ready to assist the next wave of farming enterprises."
Mr Evans said the bank's focus was on helping clients stay the course with their farm-business strategies – "whether they're pursuing growth or navigating headwinds, be they unfavourable seasonal conditions or geopolitical factors".
"I have always found working alongside farming families incredibly rewarding – their dedication, resilience and innovation never ceases to inspire me. It is a privilege to help them achieve their ambitions and support the future of Australian agriculture. And I've been fortunate to have the opportunity to constantly learn from our farming clients – understanding their approaches, insights and adaptability has continually broadened my perspective."
Mr Evans said while his origins and early career were in dryland farming in WA's Great Southern region, "professionally, through my banking career, I've been exposed to a wide range of commodities, across a range of geographic regions and farming systems".
"And I have had the opportunity to witness first hand how much the farming and ag sector has evolved – through expansion, growth and adoption of new technologies," he said.
Mr Evans stressed the importance of the bank staying "in-step with sector evolution" and supporting both established and emerging businesses, while also looking at opportunities to support ambitions across the supply chain.
Mr van Doremaele thanked Roger Matthews for his "leadership, collaboration and ongoing support" in steering the business in South Australia, the Northern Territory and north-west Victoria over recent years.
