A new role with a global focus
Published: Oct 27, 2022
To help Nutrien Ag Solutions more fully leverage its global capabilities to better serve and partner with growers around the world, the company has created the position of Senior Vice President of Retail Operations, and appointed Rob Clayton to the role.
Rob has been with Nutrien’s Australian retail business for 22 years, most recently serving as Vice-President and Manager Director.
“In this new role, Rob will take on the leadership of our Loveland Products business globally, with a strong focus on leading our global strategic supplier relations, manufacturing, product portfolio and our corporate customer strategy,” says Jeff Tarsi, Executive Vice President and President, Global Retail. “Rob has deep expertise in the agriculture business and has built his career by inspiring the team every day to improve profitability and sustainability for growers. I’m confident he will build on that momentum in his new role.”
Rob, who grew up on a farm in the Australian state of New South Wales, is excited about taking his passion for helping growers to succeed, and applying it to Nutrien’s retail operations around the world.
“I look forward to working closely with the organization and the regional teams to identify global solutions that benefit our local regions,” he says. “Nutrien plays a critical role in the global food supply chain, and I’m excited that I get to contribute to it in a new and expanded way.”
Under Rob’s leadership, the Nutrien Ag Solutions Australian business has grown in both scale and profitability by more than 200 percent, with a focus on digital solutions, sustainable farming outcomes and building a world-class, highly engaged and high-performing team. To build on that strong foundation, Jeff has appointed Kelly Freeman – who currently leads Nutrien Ag Solutions in Canada – to take over for Rob as Vice President and Managing Director, Australia.
“Kelly has been leading our Canadian retail business for the past two years, and during that time the team has delivered record safety and financial results, navigated the implementation of a new enterprise management system and developed an operating model that prioritizes team development and business growth,” Jeff says. “During his 14 years with Nutrien, Kelly has established a track record of building great teams and developing strategy that drives growth for our business. I’m confident the team in Australia will continue to excel under his leadership.”
Kelly, who grew up on a farm in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, is a certified professional accountant who served in a variety of senior roles in Investor Relations and Strategy before taking on the Canadian Retail leadership in 2020.
“I’m honored and excited to move to Australia to take on this new role,” Kelly says. “I know the ag retail landscape in Australia is different from what I’m used to in Canada and I’m excited to learn from our world-class team and help them to serve our customers and our shareholders in the years ahead.”