Faan Basson

Experience

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  SENET (Pty) Ltd.

  Jan 2005 - Jun 2008

  Procurement Manager
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  Pumas Rugby

  Jun 2008 - Dec 2008

  Professional Rugby Player
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  Boehringer Ingelheim

  Jan 2009 - Aug 2011

  Regional Account Manager

  • Managing the company’s largest distributor and wholesaler in Africa, with a budget of $100K

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  Swartland winery

  Jan 2009 - Apr 2009

  Cellarperson
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  Nulandis Agriculture

  Apr 2009 - Dec 2009

  Field Technical Manager
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  Welgemeend Wine Estate

  Aug 2011 - May 2016

  General Manager

  • Managing a total mixed ration (TMR) dairy herd and 400 hectares of crops

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  Oakland Dairies

  Mar 2016 - Mar 2017

  Operations and Marketing Manager

  • Managing dairy processing operations and strategic planning, responsible for an annual turnover of $25m and thirty-five permanent staff• Implementing effective systems and processes to enhance operational performance, increasing revenue growth from $18m to $25m within twelve months• Spearheading new product development, growing product sales by 15%• Establishing and building strong, working relationships with large retailers and service engineers• Overseeing raw milk sourcing and benchmarking farmers’ production cost• Managing sales and budgets across multiple projects• Raw milk and cheese trading including managing milk quality• Project managing Pyrolysis trials to turn plastic waste into biofuel, reducing CO2 and carbon footprint• Implementing marketing initiatives to strengthen brand awareness and customer confidence• Negotiating an FM Radio slot to grow Facebook presence by 800% • Managing the properties of multiple businesses onsite• Performing as a strong leader of a cohesive team with strict enforcement of statutory regulations, quality standards, governance processes and compliance requirements Show less

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  Vodafone / Mezzanine Ware

  Apr 2017 - Jun 2019

  Head of New Business Development

  • Overseeing business development activities with meticulous attention to detail• Exploring commercial opportunities to find creative solutions and new market channels• Developing business plans to onboard cloud solutions for agricultural technology companies, including precision farming• Providing strategic direction to executive committee, road mapping mergers and acquisitions with digital agricultural partners• Customer service and liaison, building strong working relationships and effective communication channels with key stakeholders, resolving complaints and enquiries• Developing propositions in agriculture, liaising closely between farmers, agribusinesses and technology to introduce new concepts for smart farms and encourage the use of digital technology• Supervising, coaching, training, motivating and mentoring personnel, setting clear goals and expectations, providing relevant feedback and discipline as required• Establishing, implementing and overseeing effective systems, processes and controls• Delivering a high standard of sales, administrative, marketing and financial support• Producing various reports, presentations, analyses, correspondence and other documentation• Managing project budgets and setting farm industry benchmarks• Performing as a strong leader of a cohesive team with strict enforcement of statutory regulations, quality standards, governance processes and compliance requirements Show less

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  ANZ

  Oct 2019 - Jul 2022

  Relationship Bank Manager

  • Managing high net worth customers with complex accounts across the farming sector• Building strong working relationships, ensuring high customer satisfaction and retention• Analysing customer cash flow forecasts and financial needs• Negotiating terms and conditions with customers• Evaluating financial results and reporting to various executive teams• Financial and operational risk assessment and management• Strategic planning and implementation of short- and long term developments, resulting in continued improvements within budgets• Proactively identifying and solving liquidity issues• Developing sales and growth strategies, including implementing customer acquisition and marketingplans to ensure the achievement of agreed financial objectives• Performing as a strong member of a cohesive team with strict enforcement of statutory regulations, quality standards, standard operating procedures, governance processes and compliance requirements Show less

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  Townshend Group

  Aug 2022 - now

  Business Manager and Equity Partnership Manager

  • Business management of twenty-six farms, including twenty independent entities• Overseeing group financial benchmarking to drive portfolio growth and growth strategy• Establishing rapport and trust with more than sixty shareholders, aligning their personal and business goals with tailored business plans and solutions• Fostering the personal and financial growth of diverse individuals within the business, from farm assistants to equity owners, through coaching, mentoring and training• Influencing all areas of compliance such as environment, people, infrastructure, health and safety • Negotiating and maintaining banking relationships with the Big 4 banks in NZ, securing favourable terms and conditions for the business• Chairing two businesses and board member for all other business entities• Achieving 15% portfolio growth within the first 16 months and $220m assets under management• Overseeing all business regulatory compliance, mitigating risks and ensuring a 100% pass rate of internal audits Show less