Rabobank Australia & New Zealand has announced the appointment of Marc Soccio as a senior analyst in its Food & Agribusiness Research and Advisory division.

Mr Soccio has taken on responsibility for covering the food retail and processing, wine and horticulture sectors for the bank’s research division.

The world’s leading food and agribusiness bank, Rabobank is one of Australia and New Zealand’s largest rural banks and a major provider of corporate financial services to the region’s food and agribusiness sector. The Food & Agribusiness Research and Advisory (FAR) team is a dedicated unit within Rabobank which undertakes research into food and agribusiness sectors. The local FAR team is part of a global network of approximately 80 research analysts across the bank.

Announcing the new appointment, Rabobank general manager – FAR Australia & New Zealand Justin Sherrard said Mr Soccio was an excellent addition to the bank’s research team, bringing a strong background in food and agribusiness sector research within the viticulture, wine, horticulture and associated processing industries.

"Marc’s background has included valuable experience in advising wealth managers on investment opportunities around horticulture and viticulture," Mr Sherrard said. "Both of these areas involve advanced food processing operations and Marc has been involved in evaluating the value chains of these sectors in his previous work."

Mr Soccio spent five years as an agribusiness investment analyst and advisor, where he developed a strong understanding of a range of agricultural markets, value chains and the financial and operating requirements of agricultural businesses. He has also worked in wine operations.

Mr Soccio said he was looking forward to continuing to build the bank’s understanding of the wide range of sectors in which its clients operated, and providing them with access to global research and insights.

"The global reach and dedication of Rabobank’s FAR division is what makes it so truly unique and valuable to the bank’s clients, as well as professionally rewarding for me," he said.

Mr Soccio holds a Commerce Honours degree from the University of Melbourne, a Graduate Diploma in Oenology (wine making) from the University of Adelaide and is currently completing an MBA at Melbourne Business School.

Denise Shaw