Our People

Courtney completed her B Com in Agriculture via correspondence whilst holding down a full time job working for Farmlands - this meant the need to be very time focused and planned. A year after completing her B Com Courtney joined Ballance in 2013, progressing through to Key Accounts starting in December 2016.

Both the Intermediate and Advanced Sustainable Nutrient management courses have been completed allowing the submission of papers to obtain accreditation as a Certified Nutrient Management Advisor. Courtney has also sat the Women in Leadership course run by Agri Womens Development Trust.

Courtney is also a part of the Sheep and Beef strategy team that was set up in 2016 at Ballance. This team play an important role in helping Ballance understand how we help our customers meet future needs and ensure our sales team receive the right training.

Leonie grew up on a Sheep and Beef farm locally at Te Tipua, finding throughout her younger years she enjoyed being outside and helping her dad on the farm. She attended St Peters College in Gore and then went on to Lincoln University to complete her Bachelor of Agriculture degree in 2009. Being a part of a long running agricultural family gave Leonie the passion for agriculture, hard work and respect for what goes into the industry.

Leonie has worked on a few different farming operations such as sheep milking, a self-sufficient organic block as well as three dairy farms and a sheep and beef farm - all within Southland and Canterbury so has had a varied perspective from different aspects of the industry.

A small stint overseas got the travel bug out of her system, before joining Altum (now Ballance) in August 2012, covering from Tokanui to Millers Flat, across to Milton and everything in between. The area is one with significant differences between places, and Leonie finds it interesting how different areas deal with their challenges.

In her spare time Leonie likes to keep fit by playing netball for Knapdale and Basketball for the Diamonds in Gore and also a bit of soil testing keeps her on her toes!

Rebecca is the Nutrient Specialist covering Eastern Southland / Balclutha.

Rebecca is a born and bred Southlander. Growing up in town, she now resides in Tokanui with her young family, and helps with a bit of farm work in the weekends.

She studied at Massey University before heading home to have her daughter, continuing her studies, and gaining a Diploma of Science and Technology whilst continuing towards her Bachelors.

Rebecca started her career at the freezing works, initially as a grader before working her way up to being leading hand of the slaughter board. She gained experience working for another fertiliser company before joining a great team at Ballance Agri-Nutrients.

In her spare time, Rebecca enjoys playing golf and netball, going fishing, hunting, tramping, and can manage the drafting gate.

Sophie McLean joined the Farm Sustainability Services Team in November 2020.  Hailing from Southland, Sophie has always had a passion for agriculture and attended Lincoln University to complete a Bachelor of Environmental Management.

After university Sophie worked as a compliance officer for the Southland Regional Council, a role which gave her insight into the pressure the councils have on them with the increasing amounts of environmental legislation. She believes in working alongside our farmers to overcome these challenges and contribute towards positive, sustainable change for the future of farming.