Darren MacDonald

In 2023, my wife and I decided to gain some farming experience in the UK. I subsequently joined South Ormsby Estate in Lincolnshire where I took up the role of an organic and regenerative farm and livestock manager overseeing a herd of 420 Pedigree Linconshire Red Cattle. My core objective was a commitment to sustainable organic and regenerative farming practices, focusing on soil health, biodiversity and animal welfare. My key initiative in terms of soil regeneration includes 'Mob grazing' on cover crops. This process involves strategically rotating the cattle over crops to maximize soil health. I am proficient in developing strategic grazing plans to optimize pasture and cover crop usage with a good knowledge on silage production and analysis, contributing to a well-rounded and environmentally conscious agricultural approach.

My Key Responsibilities Include:

• Developed advanced understanding of organic and regenerative farm operations, including purchasing needs, pasture management and labour requirements.
• Introduced online software system to manage cattle and paddocks.
• Facilitated consistent, reliable tracking of farm performance by maintaining accurate and complete operational records, including animal movement, medicine records, silage production and pasture management.
• Developed detailed WInter and Summer grazing plans.
• Managed a staff compliment of 4 permanent employees and well as a multitude of subcontractors.
• Established maintenance programmes for heavy farm equipment, including tractors, teleporters and vehicles.
• Managing monthly accounts, budgeting and stock forecasting.
• Carried out routine welfare checks on livestock to identify health and production abnormalities.
• Managed repair and maintenance of fences, buildings and other farm structures for increased durability.
• Monitored animals prior to, during and post-parturition to assist with associated husbandry.
• Enforced strong safety and environmental protections to support habitats while preventing harm to employees and customers.

Farming is a passion that led me down the path of managing a family owned livestock farm. I have learnt and understand the various farming practices and have honed my skills in regenerative farming practices, leadership, management, and problem-solving. Throughout my career, I have demonstrated a track record of success in managing day-to-day operations, livestock management ( cows and pigs) developing and executing plans to increase productivity and reduce costs, and maintaining compliance with environmental regulations and safety standards. I am passionate about farming and am always seeking to stay up-to-date with the latest techniques and technologies in the field.

My key responsibilities included:

• Diversified farm portfolio into new silos by adding tours, special events and farm stay getaways.
• Managed a team of 3 farm workers, providing guidance, training, and performance feedback
• Managed day-to-day operations of the farm including organic and regenenerative livestock management ( 200 cows and 100 pigs), sales, social media, maintainance and planning.
• Oversaw the budget and financial performance of the farm, analyzing data and identifying areas for improvement
• Developed and executed plans to optimize productivity and reduce costs
• Maintained compliance with environmental regulations and safety standards
• Maintained strong relationships with suppliers, buyers, and other stakeholders
• Maintained optimum environmental conditions to enable maximum animal welfare and biosecurity.
• Used recognised breeding practices to stabilise and improve stock.
• Purchased supplies such as whey, medicine and feed
• Facilitated consistent, reliable tracking of farm performance by maintaining accurate and complete records on all aspects of operation, including animal movement, medicine records, production and weening
• Management of farm in terms of fencing, irrigation and soil erosion.

The first business I started after leaving the corporate world in 2008. My passion was mountaineering. I formed Soul Adventures and focused on leading expeditions to various iconic mountain peaks around the world. These included the Himalayas, Andes, Russia, Kilimanjaro and the Drakensberg. In 2020 I decided to hand over the reigns to the younger team members who I had mentored over the years. Partly fueled by age and family commitments. I am still a Director of the company and play more of a 'guidance and advice' role.

My responsibilities included:

• Optimised daily operations to achieve maximum efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
• Contract management with key sub contractors
• Financial management of the business
• Developed and implemented business strategies to increase revenue and market share
• Led and managed a team of travel professionals to achieve revenue targets
• Website development and SEO
• Sales and marketing of the business though networking, B2B, Google Adwords and joint ventures
• Social Media campaigns
• Built and maintained strong relationships with clients and partners
• Researched competitor activities and market trends, incorporating findings into business strategy.
• Ensured compliance with industry regulations and standards
• · Negotiated and closed high-value deals with key clients and partners
• Established and maintained valuable industry networks and contacts.
• Led over 100 expeditions to various destinations in the world

In 2013, after the successful implementation of Soul Adventures, I decided to diversify due to the favorable exchange rate for oversees tourists. I recognized a gap in the market to create incoming tours into South Africa. These included safaris, hiking tours, cultural and day tours as well as bespoke multi day tours. With the knowledge I had gained in the first few years of Soul Adventurers, the transition and creation process was a lot smoother. The channels to market where through online presence, corporate team buildings, international booking platforms and social media. As with Soul Adventures, I decided to hand overt he reigns to the younger members of the team and take up a mentorship role.

My key responsibilities included:

• Optimised daily operations to achieve maximum efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
• Directed business growth through robust business planning.
• Itinerary and tour creation
• Financial management of the business
• Website development and SEO
• Social Media campaigns
• Sales presentations
• Sales and marketing of the business though networking, B2B, Google Adwords and joint ventures
• Contract management with key suppliers
• Management of contracted guides
• Developed and implemented business strategies to increase revenue and market share
• Conducted market research and analysis to identify potential clients and competitors
• Built and maintained strong relationships with clients and partners
• Led and managed a team of travel professionals to achieve revenue targets
• Negotiated and closed high-value deals with key clients and partners
• Ensured compliance with industry regulations and standards

The division I ran was responsible for the accident management process on a fleet of 20,000 leased vehicles. This included the call centre management, claims management, supplier management and interaction with both clients and broker. I was offered the job with the key responsibility of reconciling the control accounts on the existing business due to mismanagement Some examples of this mismanagement included a R4 million Debtors book sitting in excess of 150 days and an accident control account of R3 million in excess of 180 days. My primary objective from the the recon was to a) identify key flaws in the way the unit operated. b) recoup as much of the outstanding money with the help of a dedicated task team under my responsibility.

In terms of streamlining the process, my core objective was to create a status driven workflow system in collaboration with the IT Department. The system was designed to manage all aspects of the business from supplier management, claims management, payments, documentation and financial management. A system that I believe is still in operation today. The staff compliment under my portfolio was 35 with numerous suppliers and corporate clients throughout the country. I reported into the MD and my responsibilities also included:

• Compilation of quarterly financial statements ( IS, balance sheet) and presentation to the MD
• Creation and implementation of various documented strategies that include:
• Marketing and Sales Strategy
• Supplier Management Strategy
• Staff Development Strategy
• System Development Strategy
• Work with senior developer to manage large, complex design projects for corporate clients
• Build and maintain strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders
• Relationship management with key clients that included Standard Bank, SAB, DHL, Clover and DeBeers
• Managed a team of sales professionals to achieve sales targets

Responsible for building and maintaining strong relationships with key customers, developing and executing account plans, and achieving sales targets.

• Responsible for the Spar and later Checkers channel
• Implemented commission and incentive structure for team of 10.
• The position was a multi-faceted one focusing primarily on in-store presence of products through successful relationship building with relevant supply chain players
• Compilation of quarterly financial statements and presentation to the GM and Directors
• Tracked industry trends and customer behaviour to develop targeted sales strategies.
• Coordinate with partners to create and execute business plans to meet sales goals
• Analyze market trends and accordingly develop sales plans to increase brand awareness
• Managed a team of sales professionals to achieve sales targets
• Creation and implementation of various documented strategies that include:
• Marketing and Sales Strategy
• Supplier Management Strategy
• Staff Development Strategy

In the final year of my studies, I was offered an internship at Pick ‘n Pay retailers. The position involved spending time in each department with the aim of learning the business from the ground up. Although a very practical experience, the position also included a lot of training and development on all aspects of the business. The ultimate goal upon completion of the internship was to establish a definitive career path into head office

• I reported in to the store managers and regional managers with my key responsibilities to include:
• Ensure that merchandise/display standards are adhered to Conduct regular quality checks, ensure that stock is rotated
• Ensure that all administration is completed accurately and timeously
• Analyze, maintain and update relevant information/documentation, take required action when necessary
• Plan and implement sales promotions
• Monitor budgets
• Analyze profitability of department, make recommendations or take required actions
• Optimize stock levels e.g
• Always in stock, never overstocked through effective ordering
• Manage employees to ensure standards are maintained by competent, motivated employees.