The Australian wool industry has been credited with having built the nation, a pivotal export commodity for over 100 years, with the industry seen as an innovator in the agriculture sector.
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Anyone taking a lead role in one of the wool industry's peak bodies needs to be ready to face the good, the bad, and the ugly, not only domestically but internationally, with the pressures of foreign exchange rates and international policy affecting values and producer sentiments.
Accepting the challenge to lead Australian Wool Exchange (AWEX), Charlie McElhone, pronounced Mac-Alone, has stepped into the role of chief executive officer.
Although having some very big shoes to fill, he is well qualified to lead the organisation into the future.
Mr McElhone visited Western Australia for the last wool sale before the scheduled three-week winter recess.
He met with brokers and buyers to gain further insight into the intricacies of the WA sector, its distinct challenges and advantages - and he was very candid in his acknowledgement.
"One thing that is consistent across most agricultural sectors is that they are always going through a period of flux to some degree," Mr McElhome said.
"It is a notorious sector for peaks and troughs and variations and volatility and from my short time in the wool industry, it is apparent this is a factor.
"Obviously coming into the industry now, I understand that it is a sector that has been down on sentiment for a number of reasons and people are wondering what the future looks like."
He said his transition into the role at AWEX gave him the opportunity to look at the industry from a fresh perspective.
Mr McElhone spent the past 13 years at Dairy Australia, where his most recent role was as general manager - Sustainable Dairy, before bringing his extensive experience to AWEX.
" I am looking at what the opportunities are for AWEX to play a positive, proactive role in driving a modern vibrant industry into the future," Mr McElhone said.
Replacing Mark Graves whose tenure as AWEX CEO lasted 21 years of his 30 years with the organisation, Mr McElhone's extensive work in the sustainability space is a massive advantage.
He said while he may be new to the industry, he understands the frustrations of many within the industry and is aware of the expectations that many within the industry will have.
"There will be some impatience from people," Mr McElhone said.
"Because there is some real need to see wins and improvements to what we do, not just at AWEX but the whole industry.
"One thing that is consistent across all my previous working experience across agriculture is that if you do not have a unified approach to take on these challenges, then it becomes very difficult.
"I say this very consistently, if the challenges about bolstering the integrity of the Australian wool clip, positioning ourselves more positively with traceability systems and integrity globally and leaning into the sustainability space - if this is all left to AWEX to deliver without support from the rest of industry or them rallying around us and taking co-ownership of that, then we are not going to succeed.
"I do take on a lot of responsibility and ownership, but at the same time, my key objective coming in is to really harness that, all of industry, support to succeed in these objectives.
He said the beauty of AWEX was that its members and the board had representation from all sectors of the supply chain.
"We have growers, exporters, brokers, processors and private treaty merchants, so I come away with confidence we have covered all the industry wants and needs, we just need to generate the whole-of-industry support to achieve this."
Mr McElhone praised the Australian wool industry as a global powerhouse it is worth almost $3 billion at the farmgate, and generates an enormous amount of value and activity.
He said Australian wool should be recognised as the best quality wool in the world.
"It is an amazing natural product and it summarises perfectly that sustainability story," Mr McElhone said.
"It is a huge opportunity for the industry to expand in the future.
"In my short time so far in the wool industry, I can already see there is an enormous amount of innovation and amazing technology that has been developed.
"It is really something to be proud of and sets the industry up for the future - and it drives me to want to continue to grow this global trust further."
Mr Grave spearheaded transformative projects, including the introduction of the National Wool Declaration, WoolClip, E-bale, the modernisation of AWEX's IT platforms, and the implementation of the Australian Wool Sustainability Scheme (AWSS).
Sustainability is an area that Mr McElhone said was central to any industry and business moving forward.
"Sustainability is the new normal," Mr McElhone said.
"It is the language of government and the language of consumers.
"It is what is driving a lot of investment and purchasing decisions globally."
He said taking a holistic approach was the key to being successful in the sustainability space.
Mr McElhone is impressed with the industry and its members and was keen to keep the momentum going.
"There are amazing people doing great things and this is something we plan to continue," he said.
