Richard Bond
Director, Bondstock Rural Exports
- From sweeping the shed at Wesfarmers Roma and working the backyard at the saleyards, Richard joined the agency business transferring to Katherine NT where the love for live export was born.
- After a 7year partnership with Northern Territory Land and Livestock (the first Private agency in the NT) Richard operated Bondstock Pty Ltd as an agency for 3 years.
- Bondstock was then transformed into a procurement company exclusively for Wellard Rural Exports lasting until they closed their trading division. During this time Richard sourced and handled over 1 million cattle from all over Australia, forging lasting relationships with agents and suppliers. This has resulted in an extensive network providing a broad knowledge of availability and pricing trends.
- Bondstock Rural Exports was created in 2013 with a dream that one day it would export itself.
- During the live export ban Richard assisted MLA as a consultant in Indonesia for 3mths helping to improve the animal welfare and saw the implementation of ESCAS. Here he built great in-country relationships with many customers.
Colin Webb
Director, Bondstock Rural Exports
- After a mustering season at Brunette Downs in the Northern Territory, Colin completed a Bachelor of Agricultural Science at the University of Melbourne.
- In 2007, while working in North Queensland, Colin was offered a job onboard a livestock vessel working as a stockman for Wellard Rural Exports, unbeknown to anyone this was the start of a 12-year career with the company.
- Following the stockman role Colin moved to become an Operations Manager supervising export projects out of Australia, New Zealand, Brazil and Uruguay.
- In 2015, he was appointed as a General Manager, broadening his current role to sales. This role lead him to work with customers he still deals with to this day.
- During this time, Colin managed projects up to the value of USD 100 million.
- Colin left Wellard Rural Exports to join BRE and undertake the joint venture with another exporter, his success in sales, support and general business acumen has led to him being made a partner within 12mths.
Scot Braithwaite
Sales Executive/Mentor
- Growing up on a mixed sheep and cattle station in Western Queensland before moving to Malaysia where his father was the first feed-lotter in South East Asia, Scot has been involved with the live export and cattle industries from a young age.
- From 1987 to 1991, while working for Austrex, Scot completed an economic degree, going on to spend 12 months with the Northern Territory Treasury before managing the Stanbroke capital improvements and major R & D programs running across their 23 properties until 1994.
- Following this, he became the live export manager for Heytesbury Pastoral Group, increasing their exporting capacity from 9,000 to 120,000 head/year, to become the largest live exporter in Australia at that time.
- In 1997, Scot developed his own live export business, SEAF, in partnership with three other members of Heytesbury, exporting 120,000 head/year. The business included leasing and feeding cattle in the Philippines. Scot then sold the business to Suntory in 2001, continuing to work for them until 2004.
- It was after this period that Scot began his partnership with Wellard Rural Exports, appointed marketing manager, opening the company up to the South East Asian (SEA) market for the first time. At it’s peak, the company exported 350,000 head/year into SEA, contributing over AUD 2 billion in cattle sales. Scot held a number of positions throughout his 15 years at Wellard including Manager of Asia, overseeing the company’s business into China, Chief Operating Officer and at one point the Chairman of Wellao, Wellard’s Chinese JV company. He also developed a breeding/feedlot program for Wellard in the Philippines.
- In 2018, Scot left Wellard and has been contract marketing for Bondstock Rural Exports ever since, assisting in exporting 90,000 head over a nine month period.
- He also is a 50% owner in a joint venture program, breeding cattle under coconuts in Indonesia.