This article is from the Australian Property Journal archive
JOHN McKillop is leaving his role as chair of Melbourne-based rural valuation and real estate business LAWD to become CEO of mining billionaire Gina Rinehart’s extensive agricultural portfolio.
Rinehart holds the 25-plus properties through Hancock Prospecting, which has a total herd capacity of over 340,000 making it Australia’s second-largest beef producer.
She has been shopping around 1.876 million hectares of land in Western Australia and the Northern Territory since early this year. Even with a sale, Rinehart will remain the biggest landowner in the country.
McKillop is expected to remain chair of the Red Meat Advisory Council. He is also non-executive director of the Dairy Farmers Milk Cooperative, Compass Agribusiness and is on the advisory boards of Hummingbird Technologies and Kinross Farms.
“I am excited to be joining Mrs Rinehart and the teams at Hancock and Kidman,” McKillop said.
“I am looking forward to working with a chairman and boards that are focused on further growth, who are active with innovation and continuing with industry-leading standards in employee safety and animal welfare.”
“Agriculture and its associated industries are essential for Australia’s future. It is a major employer, contributes significantly to our country’s revenue and provides food security to our population,” Rinehart said.
“To allow our industry to flourish we need an environment that welcomes investment, not overburdened by government costs and tape. I look forward to working with John towards making our agriculture division, even better, whilst also being mindful of government policies that hurt the whole industry and those businesses who depend on our agricultural industry.”
