Meet the Emerald Trading team

Brian Dalitz - General Manager, Trading and Marketing

B.Com (Econ, Agribusiness)

Brian joined Emerald as the Manager of Risk & Pricing in 2010, managing Emerald’s commodity pricing and hedging for the trading division and the pool, along with macro strategy and analysis.  In 2011 Brian’s role was broadened to oversee also trading and marketing activities across the Emerald Group of companies.

He has over 20 years’ experience in trading markets and managing risk, the previous 9 years were at Louis Dreyfus Commodities managing the grain and wool trading divisions, and prior to this, spent 10 years trading financial markets with Merrill Lynch in Sydney, attaining ‘Registered Representative’ status on ASX & Chicago Futures Exchanges.

Chris Kochanski – General Manager, Wheat

B.Bus (Marketing)

Chris joined Emerald in 2008 in a Grain Merchant capacity with the responsibility of managing Emerald’s wheat book.  He was appointed General Manager, Trading in 2009, broadening his responsibility to cover pricing and risk management coordination across all grains managed by Emerald.

Chris has over 10 years experience within the industry, including roles as seed and grain merchant in northern NSW, and he later spent a number of years as a wheat buyer for Weston Milling.  This experience has allowed Chris to develop a strong understanding of flour milling, grain quality, grower requirements, hedging and pricing strategy, both in derivatives and physical markets as well as domestic and international markets.

Malcolm McMahon – General Manager, Merchandising

Dip. Bus Mgmt, AMP (Monash), FAICD

Malcolm joined Emerald as General Manager, Merchandising in 2005. He currently manages front-office operational functions and key consumer relationships.  Malcolm holds more than 35 years experience at listed and Australian and International agribusiness corporations, including global exposure to commodity trading, finance and accumulation activities.

Malcolm’s executive career has included senior management and trading roles with Riverina Stockfeeds, Cargill, AWB Ltd, Grainco and Elders.   Malcolm has previously held Non-Executive Chairman and Director roles in agribusiness and logistics companies, including Plantech, Seedmark, Pulse Australia, ABA and Bulk Terminals Australia.

Michael Commadeur – Commodity Trader

B. of Science (Agriculture)

Mick joined the Emerald Group in December 2010.  Mick's key responsibilities include facilitating pricing and execution for hedging and marketing strategies across Emerald's wheat and coarse grains books.

Raised on a dairy farm in Victoria’s Goulburn Valley, Mick completed a Bachelor of Science (Agriculture) from the University of Melbourne. Following university, Mick worked with an agricultural investment research firm for four years, during which time he completed a Diploma of Financial Markets with Kaplan Financial.  His key responsibilities are managing the maintenance of domestic and international supply and demand data, and assisting commodity heads with market analysis.

Terrie Muhlebach - Coarse Grains Manager (Barley, Sorghum and Corn)

B.Ag Sc/LLB (UNE)

Terrie joined the Emerald team in March 2010 as the Project Analyst responsible for business development, commodity merchandising and project management. She has since taken on the role of Coarse Grains Manager responsible for the Barley, Sorghum and Corn books.

Terrie has both local and international experience. Having graduated from the University of New England with a Bachelor of Agricultural Science and a Bachelor of Law, she spent the following three years working as a grain merchant and speciality oilseeds business manager with Australian Grain Accumulation, based in Wagga Wagga.

In 2008 and 2009, Terrie was based in London and accepted a role with the ANZ bank working within their corporate team as a business development associate for Europe and America. Terrie’s international knowledge and experience makes her a strong player within Emerald’s pricing division.

Brant Laidlaw - Oilseeds and Pulses Manager (Cottonseed, Pulses and Canola)

B.Ag Sc, B.Business (LaTrobe)

Brant joined Emerald in 2008 as a graduate grain merchant, and worked under the respective commodity heads in taking responsibility for specific roles in the wheat, barley and canola sectors.

In 2010, Brant was appointed Canola commodity head, responsible for the pricing, sales and hedging strategy of the canola book and has since accepted the role as Oilseeds and Pulses Manager.

Brant grew up in Kerang in northern Victoria, moving to Melbourne for his studies in 2004, before joining Emerald in 2008.

Richard Wood - Market Analyst

B. Commerce and B. Agricultural Business Management

Richard joined Emerald as a Market Analyst in 2011. His key responsibilities are managing the maintenance of domestic and international supply and demand data, and assisting commodity heads with market analysis. Prior to Emerald, Richard worked for Westpac as a Credit Analyst in Agribusiness Risk Management for 3.5 years. During this time, he completed the Agribusiness Banking Graduate program.

Richard originates from a mixed livestock and cropping property in Southern NSW, where he has had extensive experience in grain production.