The Team
Turning Rissington Breedline's vision into a reality for commercial farmers on a daily basis is this team of hard working, young, highly qualified and dedicated staff. It is their expertise and enthusiasm which many clients and partners have been able to rely on to drive their own ambitions.
Graham Leech, Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
As CEO, Graham has overall responsibility for Rissington Breedline operations in New Zealand, the United Kingdom and South America. Graham previously acted as the group's Commercial Finance Director.
Graham has a wide breadth of commercial experience in primary industry. Prior to joining Rissington Breedline, Graham has acted as Chief Financial Officer for the Bearsley Group in New Zealand and Finance Director of Norwich Union's IT Change Division in the United Kingdom. Graham also acts as a director and advisor to various other companies within the global food supply chain.
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Alastair Nelson, General Manager NZ
As General Manager for NZ, Alastair oversees the operations and development of Rissington Breedline activity in New Zealand.
Alastair came to Rissington Breedline with a background in the agriculture industry including 6 years with Merial, the international animal health company.
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Daniel Absolom, Key Account Manager
As Product Manager, Daniel is responsible for all quality control and sire & breeding selection for both cattle and sheep. Daniel performed these roles for Rissington Cattle Company and its subsidiary companies until Rissington Breedline's inception in 2001. Daniel previously worked for Leachman Cattle Company in 1994.
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John Absolom, Key Account Manager
As Cattle Director, John's primary role is to work closely with clients and Rissington Breedline's product & breeding teams to provide expertise and guidance on cattle sires & breeding selection.
John was the founder of Rissington Cattle Company and was instrumental to bringing together three families to form Rissington Breedline in 2001. He is well respected in the industry for being an expert in cattle breeding programmes and not being afraid to break with tradition to improve the profitability of beef production. His rise in the cattle industry began when he played a key role in the introduction of the Simmental breed into NZ in the early 70's with the Rissington prefix now synonymous with quality and performance. He has travelled extensively over nearly 4 decades doing business and gaining insights into the cattle business in North and South America, Australia and Europe. Today he oversees the largest beef genetics programme in NZ with Angus, Red Angus, Simmental and Rissington Breedline's own Stablizer® breeding herd.
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Garry Mainland, Key Account Manager
Garry joined the Rissington Breedline team in February 2007, after a solid career as a sales consultant in the fertiliser industry. Garry is passionate about the sheep and beef industry and his primary responsibility is building and maintaining effective client relationships in Southland. Garry prides himself on having a sustainable approach to farming and enjoys assisting farmers with related issues.
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April Mainland, Key Account Manager
April joined the Rissington Breedline team in August 2010, from a mixture of positions within the agriculture industry. These range from studying at Telford Rural Polytechnic, working on a sheep and beef station in Northern Southland, working in rural supplies and more recently servicing and installing machinery in dairy sheds. April has always had a good keen interest in farming. April's primary responsibility is building and maintaining effective client relationships in the North Island initially working alongside John Absolom.
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Craig Foote, Breeding Operations Manager
Craig started contracting his services to Rissington breedline in 2006, having come from a background in farming, most recently managing Awapai, one of Rissington Breedline Gentic Breeding Partners. Craig's primary responsibility is managing all of the breeding operations, maintaining effective relationships with our Genetic Breeding Partners and ensuring quality and integrity of the data collected. Craig is also involved with implementing and research and development projects that Rissington Breedline are undertaking.
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Helen Donald, Company Accountant
Helen joined Rissington Breedline after working with Chartered Accountants both in New Zealand and Australia. Helen is responsible for all the day to day accounting and administrative functions, and the preparation of annual financial statements for all companies and the consolidated accounts for the group.
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Tiffany Leppien, Administrator
Tiffany has been with Rissington Breedline since December 2002, in various administrative roles. Since having children, Tiffany now enjoys a part time role and is responsible for both the genetic & client databases and supports the sales team.
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