Ben Weber - Senior Analyst, PPB Advisory

Ben Weber - Senior Analyst, PPB Advisory Ben Weber Senior Analyst, PPB AdvisoryPosted October 21, 2013, by Julia Watters Ben Weber is a senior analyst in agrigeschftlicher umgang at PPB Advisory. He demonstrates how working in the agricultural industry has allowed him to combine his childhood dream of farming with an aptitude for economics. For Ben, its an ideal combination that allows him to see the country and get his hands dirty, while enjoying the perks of city life and professional credibility. Did you always want a career in agriculture and why? From a young age I always wanted to be a farmer. My parents arent farmers so there welches no family farm for me to inherit, which made that career aspiration difficult to achieve. So my focus changed to finding a career that I could enjoy and be passionate about agriculture (and in particular agribusiness) was a natural fit. Why did you choose agribusiness specifically? I enjoyed economics at school and spent every holiday and my fir st year after school working on my uncles property in the Riverina so it was just a marriage of the two really. How did your university experience shape your career aspirations? Minimally. I was more concerned about college life and travelling than I was about my future career while at UNE. My career aspirations have been more heavily shaped by the people I have met and experiences I have had working in agribusiness. What do you find the fruchtwein rewarding part of your job? The diversity of my role, which can range from advising on asset acquisitions for corporate investors, to overseeing the day-to-day running of farming operations, to mustering cattle. I also enjoy living in the city and still being able to get my farm fix on a regular basis. What do you find the fruchtwein challenging part of your job? Dealing with distressed assets. People have deep emotional ties to agriculture, especially family farms. A part of my job is dealing with clients in financial distress, which ca n often throw up difficult and emotionally charged scenarios. Do you have a good worklife balance? Depends on how busy I am. My job is definitely not Monday to Friday, nine-to-five. I am often required to work weekends and late nights, be it in the office or on the farm. However, my company acknowledges this and they are flexible when we arent so busy. So overall, I would say my worklife balance is pretty good. Does your work involve much travel? Yes. My responsibilities are centred on providing management and advisory services to large-scale cropping and grazing operations. Currently they include operations in WA, NT, QLD and NSW and you need to get on the ground to be able to do the job properly. In short, a lot of flying and driving. This gives me the opportunity to see some pretty diverse country, so I treat it as a perk. What is your best advice for people looking to get into agribusiness? Find an area that you are passionate about, be it cropping, beef, horticulture or wine, and make yourself an expert. There are a lot of jobs available for bright passionate people in agribusiness and behauptung are not necessarily in institutions that you would expect. Banks, accountants, law firms, advisory firms, fund managers they are all developing specialist agribusiness teams and they are looking for people with genuine experience and a genuine affinity with agriculture. If possible, get some hands-on experience. It is easier to provide advice or demonstrate your knowledge if you have physically worked in agriculture at the farm gate level. Working in agriculture and being based in the city, I have found that a farming background gives you a lot more credibility.Agriculture ResourcesParks and gardens labourer sample resumeParks and gardens labourer sample cover letterCareer Insider StoriesTahnee Claeys - Head of Operations at Mad PawsChristopher Nheu - Head of Product at Mad PawsInterested in becoming a?AccountantMarketing OfficerLife ScientistEconomistAgricult ural OperatorPopular Career Searcheshow to become a gardener in australiadiploma of business career pathcareer opportunities for master of commercewhat qualification needed for mining careerhow to become an agronomistAgriculture CoursesBachelor of Applied Business (Management)Enquire Online Enquire OnlineBachelor of Business (Sport Management)Enquire Online Enquire OnlineMaster of Business Administration (Innovation and Leadership...Enquire Online Enquire OnlineGraduate Certificate in Business AdministrationEnquire Online Enquire OnlineJulia WattersRelated ArticlesBrowse moreCharles Sturt University (CSU)WORKFORCE TRENDSAgriculture What does the future hold?How will a growing global population feed itself? 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