Leadership

David Cornish

Program Director, Marcus Oldham Rural Leadership Program

David has over 30 years experience in Agriculture Finance including roles such as Agricultural Economist, Agribusiness Marketing Manager and senior banking roles in regional NSW and Victoria for the National Australia Bank. He was the initial CEO of Rabo Financial Advisors and spent five years as a Farm Consultant with Mike Stephens & Associates focusing on agricultural investment opportunities for wholesale investment funds.

David has worked at Landmark as the Regional Manager for Western Victoria and then as a strategy manager for the organisation. Since 2012 David has consulted to agricultural investment companies supporting their farm investment strategy in Australia. In his spare time, he is involved in a family farming operation based at Casterton in Western Victoria.  David is a full-time lecturer at Marcus Oldham, in Marketing and Business Communications.

James Freemantle

Director, Jonto.co

Leadership development facilitator and coach – a graduate of ‘The Art and Practice of Leadership Development’ at Harvard – James Freemantle has worked as a producer and presenter on Australian and international TV, a prawn fisherman, TV and
stage actor, newsreader, opal miner and jackaroo.

James’s film ‘Bush to Belly’ (about 7 Indigenous kids and a coffee machine in the Kimberley) screened on ABC International and NITV. James founded REDgum Communications, which merged with leadership development consultancy People Measures. In 2022 he founded Jonto to further contribute to the development of useful, ethical leadership in Australia and abroad, through leadership programs like MORLP, coaching and filmmaking.

Jonto works with a select range of businesses, member organisations, NFPs and government departments. A qualified teacher and coach, James is accredited in multiple psychometric tools.

Family, dogs, farming, swimming in cold water and building things keep him grounded. James is an ambassador for SANE Australia and Hamilton (Victoria) and is grateful to live on Dja Dja Wurrung land.

Kate Gorman

Lecturer in Human Resource Management and College Human Resources Coordinator 

Kate Gorman started at Marcus Oldham in December 2019 as the College’s Lecturer in Human Resources. Kate grew up on a family operation running sheep and mixed cropping between Balranald and Hay in NSW, however after completing her formal education in Melbourne, has come to the College following a varied career in Human Resources and Executive leadership in the private and public sector, across a broad range of industries (Education, Government, Health, Construction, Airlines, Finance, etc) in Australia, Vietnam and the United Kingdom.

Masters qualified in Human Resource Management, Kate is delivering courses across Agribusiness, Agriculture and Equine in Management, Human Resources, Industrial Relations and People Risk.