Hailing from North Canterbury, where she grew up on a sheep and beef farm, Rachel Shearer has long had an affinity with wool.
Shearer has been appointed general manager of wool for PGG Wrightson, the first female to head the role for PGW, a name she fondly recalls from her childhood days.
“When I was a little girl, the Pyne Gould Guinness store in our local town of Rangiora was my favourite place to go with Dad.”
Many years later, it was her father John who played a part in securing a position for her in a business he had worked alongside throughout his farming career.
“I went to visit my parents for a Sunday roast and he had cut out a job advertisement from the newspaper for the role of GM people and safety at PGW.
“So I applied, got the role and was fortunate to spend the next eight years on the executive leadership team at PGW as the GM people and safety.”
While her career may not have taken the most conventional path to becoming the GM of wool, she believes all she has done has led her to where she is today.
“The fact that my last name is Shearer is definitely not lost on me either.”
Her father is no longer alive, but his influence is a big part of why she is so passionate about working in the ag sector, and for PGW.
Considered a progressive farmer, he was always looking to make positive change, exploring new ways of doing things to improve his land, stock and business.
Shearer sees it as her time now to consider the next generation of those coming into the industry.
“From an early age my brothers and I were helping out on the farm with hay making, tailing, shearing, and working the lambing beat.
“There was always something to do and much to learn. And it was such a defining moment when my parents decided to sell the farm.
“I was a teenager and I recall trying to chain myself to the front gate in protest.
“I was devastated to leave as I had imagined myself following in my parents’ footsteps and taking over the farm when I was old enough.
“However, I moved on, and after doing an Honours degree in journalism and political science at the University of Canterbury, I headed off for my OE.”
She began her career in recruitment in Sydney, which eventually led her to working for investment banks in London.
Two years later her brother, who managed rock bands in the United States, said “Banking’s not your passion, why don’t you come work for me in LA?”
She did and the next few years were spent working in music management with an array of American bands.
A visit home for Christmas changed that.
“I looked back at what I was doing in the US and realised the entertainment industry and Hollywood wasn’t my reality. Home was where I wanted to be.”
It was back home in Christchurch that she secured an in-house human resources role for a mining company. It ended up going into voluntary administration a few years later, at which time Shearer was the GM human resources.
“It was certainly tough but also career defining as there was no playbook for navigating our way through.
“As we were winding up that organisation in 2016, I secured the job with PGW.”
Responsible for all people- and safety-related activities for the 2000 PGW team members across the country, and as a member of the executive leadership team, Shearer was kept busy.
A couple of years ago chief executive Stephen Guerin began investing in her strategic leadership and governance development, which has led to her GM Wool position. She is also executive director of bidr.
Alongside Guerin, she was assisting Grant Edwards to develop a revised strategy for the wool business up until his untimely death earlier this year.
Shearer was offered Edwards’s role on an acting basis and while it was a difficult time with him gone so suddenly, she said the legacy he and other industry stalwarts left behind was evident.
“The business was able to continue on and I think this is a testament of strong leadership, that even when you’re not there, the team continues to operate to their best.
“Grant was instrumental in helping us contemplate the future of the wool industry and now we are carrying forward many of his thoughts and ideas to put together a comprehensive plan.”
While it was an unexpected shift, Shearer was keen for the challenge and on reflection can see how much of her previous work experience led her to where she is today.
“As varied as my background may sound, when you reach senior leadership, it’s really interesting to look back and see the number of things that you take from each manager and job you’ve had.
“I often joke about my time in LA as a left-field career break and you wouldn’t think there would be anything remotely related to running a wool business, but some of it does really round out what I do now.
“I firmly believe in taking opportunities and addressing challenges as they present themselves. Following values, passion and purpose are extremely important to me.”
Now at the helm of a heritage brand in an iconic New Zealand industry, Shearer is keen to ensure PGW Wool adapts and grows as a business to help secure a future “for this incredible, sustainable fibre and its growers”.
“I grew up sitting in front of the fire with A Dog’s Show on and the sound of Mum spinning or knitting wool from our flock into jumpers.
“Our son was born premature so was in the neonatal intensive care unit and once out of his incubator we made sure to dress him head to toe in Merino.
“I remember the doctor saying the success of his growth rate was indicative of a child being wrapped in wool. We buried my father in a wool coffin.
“I feel I’ve experienced the full life cycle of wool, and while I know I’m not going to single-handedly solve all the challenges of the industry, I’m passionate about what our strategy and roadmap looks like to ensure we play our part to help elevate NZ wool in the modern world.”
She said she doesn’t feel an extra responsibility of being a woman in the leadership position, but over the years she has become more comfortable leaning into what it means to bring her authentic self to work.
“When I became a new mum, I had to understand and embrace what I brought to the table and I realised that being successful is more about your output and influence.
“It was about changing my mindset, saying no to things that aren’t important in order to deliver to my best abilities as a mum, partner and general manager.
“I am conscious, although not overtly, that I’m in a job which has traditionally been held by a man.
“I see my role is to help open the door for other women to join me in operational leadership roles. But it’s definitely not a burdensome feeling, it’s one of optimism.”
And if there is one thing that will never fail to motivate Shearer in her career, it’s the wise words of her dad.
“One of my favourite sayings that I got from him was ‘If you don’t like change, you’re going to like irrelevancy even less,’ and this is the opportunity I choose to see in leading our wool team: the opportunity to sustainably set ourselves up to play our part in the future of a successful NZ wool industry.”
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