Rabobank strengthens its agri research and advisory team

Media Release July 26, 2011 1

Rabobank strengthens its agri research and advisory team – new analyst appointed

Rabobank Australia & New Zealand has announced the appointment of Dean Smith as a senior analyst in its Food & Agribusiness Research and Advisory (FAR) division.

Mr Smith will cover the grains and oilseeds sectors in Australia and New Zealand. He will also be actively supporting the work of Rabobank’s global grains and oilseeds sector team in looking at trade flows across the region, and more broadly at medium-term drivers of grains and oilseeds supply and demand.

The world’s leading food and agribusiness bank, Rabobank is one of Australia and New Zealand’s largest rural banks and a major provider of corporate financial services to the region’s food and agribusiness sector. The Food & Agribusiness Research and Advisory (FAR) team is a dedicated unit within Rabobank which undertakes research into food and agribusiness sectors. The local FAR team is part of a global network of approximately 80 research analysts across the bank.

Announcing the new appointment, Rabobank general manager – FAR Justin Sherrard said Mr Smith was an excellent addition to the bank’s research team, having worked in the Australian grains sector for more than a decade.

“Dean also has a farming background himself which gives him a great base for understanding the complexity of farm business management and the full supply chain workings,” Mr Sherrard said.

“It’s been several years since Rabobank has had an analyst devoted full-time to the grains and oilseeds sectors and having Dean join the division, the bank’s ability to fully cover this important sector is now strengthened.”

Originally from a wheat and cereals farm in north-west Victoria, Mr Smith has most recently worked for an independent commodity advisory business Market Check, where he was responsible for advisory and brokerage services to grain growers across the eastern seaboard. Mr Smith has also spent several years in the finance sector in commodity financing, as well as four years with the Australian Wheat Board when it was a single desk for Australian wheat exports.

Mr Smith said he was pleased to join Rabobank because of its core focus on developing knowledge and research within the food and agribusiness space.

“I am pleased to be working alongside highly qualified agri-analysts who are specialists in their respective fields,” he said.

“As part of the bank’s Food and Agribusiness Research and Advisory team, I will be working both locally and globally and look I forward to enhancing Rabobank’s coverage and depth of expertise in the grains and oilseeds sectors.”

Mr Smith has a Bachelor degree from Deakin University and holds a Graduate Diploma with FINSIA.

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