In this episode of Behind the Fruit, Lucy Robinson speaks with Patrick Hook, former CEO of AVO America, about leadership across cultures, private equity in agriculture, and why mindset matters more than technical expertise.

Patrick’s career spans forestry, timber private equity, Harvard’s natural resources portfolio, and operational leadership across Chile and Peru. He shares how a solo walk across Italy shaped his career direction, what he learned moving from investment into operating leadership, and how culture and alignment determine whether agricultural assets succeed or struggle.

They discuss:

• Transitioning from private equity to CEO
• Leading when you’re not the technical expert
• Cultural intelligence in global farming operations
• Why ESG is more than a buzzword
• Hiring for mindset in agribusiness
• Building alignment across 60+ employees
• Balancing leadership with nine months of global travel

Patrick’s core message is simple: if you get the people right, everything else follows.

In this episode of Behind the Fruit, Lucy Robinson speaks with John Elliott, Founder of ELR Executive in Sydney, Australia.

With nearly 30 years in executive search across FMCG, fresh produce and food & beverage manufacturing, John shares:

🍏 How executive hiring has evolved over three decades
📦 Why supply chain leadership is now mission-critical in fresh
📊 The commercial shift in founder-led produce businesses
🤝 What separates strong leaders from struggling ones
🧠 Why hiring people better than you is a leadership strength
🤖 How AI is reshaping executive search — and where it won’t replace human judgment

John also reflects on moving from executive search into an $80m FMCG CEO role — and what that experience taught him about leadership, performance, and team building.

This episode is especially relevant for founder-led businesses, commercial leaders in fresh produce, and anyone navigating executive hiring in 2026.

To connect with John:
LinkedIn: John Elliott (ELR Executive)
Website: www.elrexecutive.com.au

The conversation delves into Mark's journey to leadership, his non-traditional route, the role of values, the evolution of his management style, hiring for growth and diversity, traits for senior roles, assessing curiosity in interviews, and deliberate growth of leaders. Key takeaways include the importance of empowering others and the critical role of curiosity and a love of learning in leadership. The conversation delves into the impact of leadership experience, emphasizing the value of people and relationships, resilience in leadership, navigating career trajectories, leadership and adaptability across cultures, leadership beliefs and industry disagreements, the future of leadership in agriculture and sustainability, and advice for the next generation of leaders. Key takeaways include the importance of developing people, resilience, understanding different cultures, prioritizing career trajectory over retention, patience, and scientific understanding of the industry, as well as the traits of seeking first to understand and being curious.



Takeaways

* Leadership is about empowering others and giving away power.
* Curiosity and a love of learning are critical traits for success in leadership. Leadership is about developing people and creating value
* Resilience is essential for navigating constant change and reinvention
* Understanding and adapting to different cultures is crucial for effective leadership
* The trajectory of a person's career is more important than retention
* Effective leaders need to be patient and have a scientific understanding of the industry
* Seeking first to understand and being curious are key traits for the next generation of leaders