Welcome to the Tom & Mick Show! This week, Tom & Mick sit down with Anna Speer, whose career has taken her from teaching and AgTech to leadership roles with AuctionsPlus, Australian Agricultural Company, Woolworths and now Stone Axe.
Anna shares what she’s learnt about building strong teams, making commercial decisions and creating long-term value, while unpacking how Stone Axe is building a vertically integrated Wagyu business from conception through to consumption.
In this episode:
- Anna’s unconventional career through agriculture and AgTech
- What private equity brings to an agricultural business
- How vertical integration can reduce exposure to market volatility
- Using 10-year herd modelling to make better decisions today
- Managing rising feed, fuel and labour costs
- Why building your own brand isn’t always the best strategy
- Wagyu genetics, premium markets and future growth
- Building teams and adapting your leadership to different people
Chapters
00:00 Introduction and catching up with Anna Speer
01:52 Anna’s career from the Territory to AuctionsPlus, AACo and Woolworths
08:17 Joining Stone Axe and what private equity really means
11:11 Making fast, commercially sound decisions
15:50 The Stone Axe story and building Wagyu genetics
21:00 Managing market cycles and price volatility
25:33 Forward selling and planning years ahead
29:44 Protein trends and the Wagyu supply outlook
32:59 Managing rising input costs
36:36 Wagyu versus Angus, branding and partnerships
41:32 Leadership, personal growth and raising good humans
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