Lisbeth is Gallagher’s Animal Management Chief Executive and was named CEO of the Year at the Waikato Business Awards, supported by Foster Construction, on November 17.
When Lisbeth Jacobs joined Gallagher in April 2021, Covid-19 made some aspects of her role as the Global General Manager of Animal Management a bit tricky.
“It wasn’t easy to see people offshore. In New Zealand, we were free to move around but it was quite some time before I managed to get a spot in MIQ which meant I could hop on a plane and see my teams in the US and Europe. But we were used to using Teams, so we made do. But nothing beats face to face.”
Today, Lisbeth is Gallagher’s Animal Management Chief Executive and was named CEO of the Year at the Waikato Business Awards, supported by Foster Construction, on November 17.
“For me, the team nominating me is the greatest honour. This award is theirs too. We make decisions together, we build our strategy together, we debate and challenge, and share a desire to drive the business forward sustainably while keeping it real.
“This award is also acknowledgement that we’re building on the success of those who came before me: Sir William Gallagher, [Board chair] Steve Tucker and [Group CEO] Kahl Betham. As Gallagher celebrates 85 years, being entrusted with a part of its legacy is a privilege.”
Judges said: “Lisbeth is an inspiring and talented leader and CEO. She demonstrated extensive knowledge of Gallagher Animal Management and had a clear passion for the business, its future, and her team. People are at the heart of Lisbeth's approach to leadership. She is a humble and impactful leader who has used her experience to build a strong team and to set a clear vision and strategy for the business, empowering and supporting her team to set them up for success. The impact of Lisbeth's approach to her role as CEO is demonstrated by the nomination from her team for these awards, and from the business results achieved since she started in April 2021. The future of this leading locally founded global company is in safe hands.”
Lisbeth previously held senior leadership roles at New Zealand-based and international companies including Fletcher Building, UniServices, The Icehouse, and global company Bekaert in Belgium and China. She is currently an independent director of Goodnature and BRANZ and member of the Steering Committee of the Agritech Industry Transformation Plan (ITP).
Lisbeth holds a PhD in Engineering from the University of Auckland, a M.Sc. Engineering from KULeuven (Belgium) and completed the General Management Programme at INSEAD (Paris).
At Gallagher, Lisbeth leads the Animal Management business with offices in New Zealand, Australia, USA, Canada, and Chile, joint ventures in Europe and South Africa, and long-standing distribution partners in Latin America and Japan. The essence of the business is to deliver smarter, fit-for-purpose solutions that make animal and land management more sustainable, profitable, and productive.
Kahl Betham said he’s grateful that Lisbeth is investing her time and career with Gallagher.
“Not only has Lisbeth added an impressive level of strategic acumen, customer focus, and energy that is propelling us forward faster than ever, she’s also demonstrated that she’s an extraordinary people-focused leader who is committed to developing and caring for people along the way.
“Lisbeth leads by focusing on global mega-trends that we are best positioned to add value to, setting clear expectations and supporting people to get there, and relentlessly putting our customers at the centre of everything we do.”
