Some 20 years ago, a fresh-faced White Hills student began pioneering a career pathway in the stock agency industry, with Bendigo-based employment service provider, CVGT, and the branch office of Brian Rodwell & Co.
Adam Mountjoy, aged 17 at the time, has just recently been promoted to a new role with the Rodwells group of livestock business manager.
Now aged 37, Mr Mountjoy has represented Rodwells group clients in Bendigo, Ballarat, Mansfield and Yea, and will return to Bendigo to take up his new role which involves overseeing the livestock operation for the Rodwells group, which has a footprint in 30 locations across Victoria and southern NSW.
Along the way he has ticked many boxes of excellence, including as a competent auctioneer.
He has twice won the Victorian Young Auctioneers Competition, and in 2006 after coming runner-up two years earlier won the National Young Auctioneers Competition at Sydney’s Royal Easter Show, travelling to Canada to represent Australia in the Calgary auction competition.
He said at the time he wanted to become an auctioneer after growing up on his family's Bendigo farm, where he admired the work of their stock agent.
Mr Mountjoy was also recognised in 2017 as a future leader in Victorian agriculture by the Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria.
This award he received as part of the Royal Melbourne Show, when as manager of the Rodwells Yea and Alexandra branches, he was acknowledged for growing that business substantially after taking on the role in 2014.
He now regularly assists in the development of young auctioneers through the PD&E committee, aligned with Australian Livestock & Property Agents’ young auctioneers schooling program.
Mr Mountjoy said his new role would involve growing and developing new business within the Rodwells group, along with overseeing planning and seeking recruitment opportunities.
“Our next generation of agents will need to be much more broad-minded,” he said.
“Our industry is changing rapidly, with new technologies, and to remain relevant to our clients, agents of the future will need to be better marketers as few of us have degrees in marketing.”
Mr Mountjoy said a focus of his new role will be to identify younger people willing to fill roles within the Rodwells group.
“As one who has started as a trainee and worked through the ranks, I have a passion for assisting the younger generation and matching them with our experienced agents to learn the craft of being purposeful agents.”