Wool ops manager confident about industry future

With four years spent in the finance team supporting the wool and real estate business units, Dan Nicholls is not new to PGG Wrightson.

Dan Nicholls.

But a fter an opportunity to become the wool operations and business manager presented itself, he knew he was ready to take the next career step.

“I had a lot of exposure to the wool business and the management team in my previous role, and I really enjoyed assisting them over those years,” he says.

“This enabled me to build an appreciation for the wool industry as a whole, from a personal and business perspective. Then when this role came up, it appealed to me as I liked the idea of being able to work with a more operational and commercial mindset.”

From Christchurch, Nicholls studied a Bachelor of Commerce at the University of Canterbury before moving to Wellington for a graduate role at Deloitte.

Here he started in the insolvency team - witnessing what not to do in business - and then moved into corporate finance where he helped agricultural and transport-related companies with financial advisory and transactional support.

Nicholls left Deloitte to join Dulux NZ’s finance team, where he gained exposure to the inner workings of a corporate, before heading off for an OE.

After returning to New Zealand, he secured his first job at PGW.

This latest move is not only a new role for Nicholls, but a newly established position within the wool business unit.

It comes with the responsibility to oversee and contribute to the four PGW woolstores around the country to ensure they have the right resources, people and equipment in place to continue delivering the high service levels that customers and growers have come to expect.

Alongside this is nurturing key relationships with those suppliers and customers, as well as developing and driving forward strategic initiatives, with a future focus in mind.

“I’ll be the first to admit I don’t have an extensive background in wool, like so many people here at PGW. But after getting out amongst the business over the last few years, I certainly have an ever-growing appreciation of the fibre and everything that goes into taking the wool from a sheep and turning it into a woollen garment or product.”

While the long term trend has been a declining sheep population, which has a direct impact on wool production, Nicholls is confident that PGW’s history in the wool industry has it well positioned.

“There has certainly been this global change to pursuing a more eco-friendly approach, and the wool fibre ticks all the right boxes with its amazing natural characteristics,” he says.

“So it’s about us ensuring the product gets put into the market in the most effective way possible and making sure we can facilitate and leverage the supply chain traceability requirements that come with this sustainability focus.”

Nicholls is positive about how he and the rest of his team can tackle pending challenges head on, and exploring new ideas and possibilities will certainly be part of the job.

“There is an incredible amount of expertise in and around our woolstores, and their knowledge will absolutely be essential in guiding and sense checking possible avenues for change and improvements to the way we do things.

“I feel that people like myself, coming into the industry

from the outside, can bring a different perspective and way of thinking to the table, but be balanced by those who have the experience to know if it is something that has been tried before, or if it has potential.

“I’ll certainly be leaning into those who have that deep understanding which can only come from having a whole career in wool.”