Grain handler CBH Group appoints Paul Smith as new chief marketing and trading officer

CBH Group has appointed Paul Smith as the new head of its marketing and trading division, with Australia’s biggest grain handler announcing the important role is in “capable hands”. Mr Smith has taken on the permanent position of chief marketing and trading officer after serving in an acting capacity since mid-September, when his predecessor Jason Craig stepped down. Mr Craig announced he would vacate the role in July to take on a new position as managing director of national smallgoods producer D’Orsogna Limited. With more than two decades of experience in various trading roles, CBH chief executive Ben Macnamara said Mr Smith topped a field of strong internal and external candidates. “Paul has been with CBH for 13 years, managing our pool, commodity swap and grower finance products over the past 10 years as head of structured products,” Mr Macnamara said. “His knowledge of the marketing and trading business and its key markets, and strong leadership skills made him an outstanding candidate, and I have every confidence he will lead the team to deliver significant value for WA growers and customers. “We’re thrilled to welcome him to the leadership team.” Mr Craig called time on the role after working at CBH for 25 years and heading up its marketing and trading division since 2012. Mr Smith’s appointment, announced Wednesday morning effective immediately, has positioned him as one of CBH’s top senior managers. “I’m extremely proud to be taking on such an exciting role in an industry that I am so passionate about,” Mr Smith said. “I’m looking forward to working with our growers and key international customers to take WA’s world class grain products to markets across the globe.” Before joining CBH, Mr Smith spent 10 years in the banking industry with trading roles at BankWest in Perth and Lloyds Bank in Sydney, where he was responsible for trading portfolios across a variety of asset classes including foreign exchange, interest rates, and commodities. He is also a regular guest lecturer of agribusiness Curtin University. The most volatile grain market in 50 years and a record harvest helped CBH Group deliver its biggest annual surplus and ship a record 16.7 million tonnes of grain to international customers last year.