The facilitators of EDGE Management have been hand chosen to include the leaders in their field in regional NSW. They represent the industries of agricultural consultants, counsellors, business coaches, accountants and solicitors. All of them have a high level of skill in facilitation, communication and the delivery of adult education.  

Together the team of facilitators has the professional expertise and facilitation and communication skills to meet the challenges that the large EDGE Management Group faces. The range of personalities and skills provides the smaller Boards with the ability to select a facilitator that will best meet their needs at their meetings.

Simon Fritsch has been involved in EDGE Management since it began. His business, Agri Path Services has also administered EDGE for the past five years.

After obtaining his degree in Rural Science at Armidale, Simon worked with Twynam Pastoral Company for 3 years as a farm agronomist where he was responsible for 4000 ha of irrigated cotton. In 1990 Simon joined Hassall & Associates at Gulargambone NSW where he worked with 40 farmers providing farm management advice and farm performance analysis. In 1997 he moved to Tamworth and started his own firm Agri-Path Services which provides farm management services to farmers in north western NSW. 

Agri-Path Services provides specialist management services and farm performance benchmarking to a portfolio of over 100 farms annually. Simon brings to EDGE Management a wealth of practical experience coupled with in depth financial knowledge of the business of farming.

Business coach David Duffy has a strong proactive approach to business issues. He has spent the last 25 years as a business coach, accountant and investment adviser in both public practice and the corporate environment. He has particular expertise in facilitation, business development, and strategic planning.

David has been involved in EDGE Management as a facilitator since its inception over 17 years ago.

David has been actively involved in all areas of business management and has worked with clients to significantly grow and improve their profitability of their businesses. He has worked through intergenerational transfer and succession issues ensuring the longevity of business activities. He has successfully assisted clients in fund raising and venture capital raising activities. He is a regular motivational speaker at business conferences, and has developed many business training and leadership development programs. He is a fully accredited Mindshop facilitator and is responsible for training and coaching business coaches for an international network.

Tony Hudson has been facilitating Edge Management meetings for three years.  Residing in Victoria, he is the Director of Farm Management at Marcus Oldham College where he lectures in finance and business analysis.

A graduate of Ag Science from La Trobe University and six years working with NAB in rural finance roles provide a strong background in all areas of farm financial analysis and business planning. A further six years as a tertiary lecturer have developed his facilitation and educational skills which are paramount to the facilitators role with Edge Management.

Tony currently serves on the executive of Edge Management and is very keen to see the business continue to prosper and provide positive outcomes to all our members. 

Tim Manning is a Psychologist who works in Private Practice in Dubbo. He joined the firm Bettalife Solutions in 2007 and works as a consultant psychologist and manager of the local office. He has worked in the past with government agencies, Charles Sturt University, TAFE as well as Kids Help Line.

He has worked in the Dubbo area for the past 17 years. He services Dubbo, Coonamble and Mudgee. He has been involved in training groups for the past five years and with rural farming groups in particular for the past three years.

In his practice he sees a number of people with a variety of challenges including depression, anxiety and other mental health issues as well as those seeking to enhance their decision making and quality of life. He is very interested in the strengths clients bring into the office and what builds resilience.

Tim has been involved with EDGE Management since February 2009, and brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to our group regarding our mental health.

Facilitator

Isobel Knight grew up on a family farm in the Riverina of NSW. She studied Law, Bachelor of Business (Land Economy) and Psychology before marrying a fifth generation farmer and settling in the Northern Tablelands, near Glen Innes.

When as a new daughter in law, she began asking questions about 'what was going to happen in the future' she discovered there was no plan. She also discovered that they were not alone in this dilemma. While at home with her three children she decided to train to provide the 'help' they and other farming families had so desperately needed. 

Isobel studied mediation and counselling to do this. She has been successfully facilitating family meetings for the past five years both in her own business and as head succession planner for leading food and agribusiness bank Rabobank.  

Isobel has a commitment to helping farming families remain in agriculture by enabling them to establish their business in such a way that their children choose to return. This commitment, together with her training, has made her a valuable member of the Facilitators Team of EDGE Management since 2002.

Facilitator

Scott Barnett is an agricultural consultant who has been based at Scone for more than 15 years. He has specialised in providing advice to the dairy industry as well as a broad range of other business and agricultural activities. His clients are predominately in the Hunter Valley, Central Coast, lower north Coast and Sydney Basin. His practise provides strategic planning advice as well as advice on day to day management issues.

Through his involvement in the restructure of the dairy industry he has a strong understanding of the issues and processes faced by business undergoing structural change. He has been a driver in establishing a large dairy company and is now its CEO.

Scott uses the business tools and processes developed by Mindshop Australia. Through this association he became involved with EDGE Management as a facilitator in 2001.

 Facilitator

Sarah Roche currently is a co-owner with Isobel Knight of ProAgtive, a business established to work with family farm businesses to address succession, communication and effective business management strategies. Previously Sarah worked at Rabobank and was the Manager of Executive Development Programs (staff and clients) working in the Marketing and Rural division working directly with the General Manager of Rural. Sarah could see the huge need in farming families to more seriously address succession planning which was directly related to their people, business and communication issues.

Sarah has over six years experience working with farmers and their families in the area of family farm business management. Sarah has a Bachelor of Commerce and a Bachelor of Education. She has designed, delivered and marketed executive knowledge programs for the top 20% of producers and agribusiness managers across Australia and New Zealand. More recently she has completed specialised programs in agribusiness management, communication and people dynamics in business. She has traveled to America three times to research the business management and strategic area of family farm businesses. She was educated at UNE Armidale and is based at Adelong near Wagga Wagga NSW.

 Below is a list of facilitators.