From left, AWN deputy chairman Brendon Lunney, managing director and CEO Rick Maybury, chairman John Colley, and non-executive director Ben Barlow. Image – AWN.

WOOL, livestock and land pastoral house AWN has appointed a new chairman and chief executive officers among board changes from 1 July 2025.

The leadership restructure include the appointment of former chief operating officer Rick Maybury to the roles managing director and chief executive officer.

AWN’s founding managing director John Colley has taken over take as chairman of the company

Former chairman and board member Brendon Lunney is transitioning to deputy chairman.

AWN said Ben Barlow will continue as a non-executive director.

AWN said it has experienced extraordinary growth over the past 26 years, firmly establishing itself as a leader in agricultural services. The company said its strategic diversification from a wool-only company to a diversified pastoral house specialising in farm outputs such as livestock and real estate has garnered amazing support from rural Australia.

AWN was founded in 1999 as a wool specialist marketing company, Australian Wool Network, and now employs more than 300 people and serves more than 27,000 clients across every state in Australia.

In 2024-25, the company markets about 2 million sheep, more than 250,000 cattle and about 260,000 bales of wool with a combined transactional value of more than $1 billion for clients.

The business also holds the largest stake in The New Zealand Merino Company (NZM) and has investments with the ASX-listed Merino & Co in the manufacturing sector.

These changes reflect a thoughtful evolution of our leadership, ensuring AWN remains at the forefront of providing exceptional service and value to our national network of clients in wool, livestock, and property.

Mr Maybury started with the company in 2017 after 15 years in senior roles at Ruralco.

“My vision for AWN’s next chapter is to harness technology to deliver smarter, more efficient services that enhance value for our customers.

“We’ll explore any areas where we can solve real problems and create greater value for our clients,” he said.

“By embracing change, staying agile, and maintaining a clear focus on service excellence, AWN will continue to grow as a trusted, indispensable partner in agri-services.”

Mr Maybury said his proudest achievement while COO was helping shift AWN from being pigeonholed as only a wool broker and taking a trusted advisor culture into other farm outputs.

“By diversifying our services and identifying new opportunities to add value, we saw meaningful growth across the organisation—both in capability and customer reach.”

Mr Maybury said the biggest hurdle was navigating uncertainty during challenging external conditions while keeping the team aligned and motivated.

“Balancing expansion with operational resilience required tough decisions, clear communication, and a strong commitment to our long-term goals.

“Overcoming that period is something I’m extremely proud to have been part of.”

Mr Colley said his driving force was “the need for change within the wool industry,” and said rationalisation had led to less competition within the Australian wool broking sector.

He aimed to bridge the gap between growers and end-users, and said many wool growers had no connection with the end users of the product, and it only made sense that people in the same industry and in the same pipeline understood each other’s needs.

“Growers required a guarantee of price, and mills required a guarantee of quality and supply…it still makes sense to educate and link all parts of the agricultural pipeline.”

Mr Colley said his proudest achievement was being in a position to attract talented and loyal staff.

“Transitioning from a wool-only company to a diversified pastoral house specialising in farm outputs such as livestock and real estate was also a key change.”

Mr Colley predicted that AI will play a big part in the industry and that future trading will be “different and more efficient and cost-effective.” He said he is keen to build upon the strong legacy of his predecessor, Brendon Lunney.

Mr Colley said he had immense confidence in Mr Maybury’s leadership.

“The biggest change I see is his ability to use technology, identify the opportunities and then implement the right strategy to add value to our clients and stakeholders.

“AWN is very fortunate to have someone with both experience, strategic thinking ability and knowledge of agriculture,” he said.

Mr Lunney said one of the most defining moments in AWN’s history, and a highlight of his time on the board, was the pivotal 2011 acquisition of the Italian partners’ shares, which brought full ownership back to Australia.

This occurred when, during the global financial crisis, AWN’s Italian partners sought to divest their shares, but he and John Colley executed the acquisition of the Italian interest.

The company said the crucial acquisition enabled AWN to adapt and thrive, expanding beyond its strong wool marketing foundation into livestock and real estate.

“The market told us that wool would not be as strong as it had been, so we’ve expanded our business into the obvious connecting field of livestock and then real estate,” Mr Lunney said.