In profile: Colliers International's director - valuation, rural & agribusiness, Shaun Hendry

In profile: Colliers International's director - valuation, rural & agribusiness, Shaun Hendry
Jessie RichardsonDecember 7, 2020

NAME: Shaun Hendy

POSITION: Director - valuation, rural & agribusiness

COMPANY: Colliers International

OFFICE LOCATION: Toowoomba/Brisbane

  • How long have you been in the industry?  

I have been in the valuation industry for over 25 years starting as an assistant valuer in Toowoomba with Stanton Hillier Parker.  I cover an area from the Northern Territory to the Riverina in NSW specialising in broad hectare irrigated and dry land cropping and grazing properties.  I grew up with my family breeding stud cattle in Central Queensland and this love of the bush directed my career path.

  • What’s happening in the area you specialise in?

I specialise in agribusiness and presently we are seeing a lot of interest in Australia as a place to invest in agribusiness and we consider that this is likely to increase over the next few years as a result of recent Free Trade Agreements and the growing demand for soft commodities.

  • Describe the most interesting commercial property you have worked on.

I do not get involved with commercial property in CBD areas, however the most interesting property I have valued would be Cubbie Station at Dirranbandi.  It is the largest irrigation property in Australia and during its history received a lot of bad press due to water reform process during the 1990s and 2000s.  I believe a lot of the opinion was misguided with a lack of understanding of how the property operated and the rules of operation that dictate how it accesses water.  It has over 20,000 hectares of developed irrigation land, over 440,000 megalitres of on farm storage and a total of approximately 80,000 hectares of land.  It is developed to a very high standard and the size, efficiency and scale of the development can only be appreciated by being on site and seeing it for oneself.  There are other properties that in terms of quality are as good or better, however it size is what makes it the most interesting property I have been involved with.

  • What are the ingredients to being successful in your job?  

Being focused on understanding client needs/requirements.  Being able to communicate and speak to them about the process of valuation as it affects them.  Being honest, accessible and willing to answer the hard questions.  Looking for opportunities to add value to our service.  I have found that this has helped me build a loyal client base even when the client and I do not always see eye to eye.

  • What aspects of your role do you enjoy the most? 

 Doing property inspections and meeting people in their own environment.  Some of the places I have seen are icons of the Australian bush that tourists would pay to go and see while I get paid to inspect them.  I also enjoy the riding in helicopters to do many of the larger inspections as some of the larger properties are larger than some European countries.

  • Where would you invest a spare $750,000?  

Buying and trading young cattle.

  • Which football team do you support?

Queensland Reds

  • What’s your favourite app or techno gadget?

Solitaire and maps

  • How do you use social media?  

Facebook to stalk my children (two girls 17 and 14 years) and Linkedin to connect with professionals with similar interests.

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