What sets Quadrant tours apart is the quality of our tour leaders and hosts. They hail from diverse backgrounds with years of experience and generally have specialist knowledge of their particular subjects.
Many Quadrant tour leaders and hosts have international links and hold key positions in industry organisations which means they often provide exclusive access to private visits and have been known to open doors previously inaccessible to others.
Through their professional knowledge and experience, they help you to get the most out of your tour and provide you with opportunities to relate what you learn on tour to your own business or interest area. We believe they really do enhance the value of your travel experiences.
On a Quadrant tour you get the best of both worlds – professional English-speaking local guides plus expert tour leaders – handpicked by Quadrant to escort you on your journey.
Tour Leaders
Colin Beckett
Colin, a Marcus Oldham graduate, co-founded AgTour Australia in 1985, later merging it with Quadrant Australia in 2006. With extensive travel experience and 16 years in South Africa, he now serves as a Director of Quadrant Australia, working from Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.
Professor Dr Susanne Hermesch FTSE
Professor Susanne Hermesch, raised on a German dairy farm, pursued agriculture and earned her PhD in pig breeding at AGBU at the University of New England. An expert in genetic improvement for pig survival, health, welfare, and productivity, she works closely with the Australian pork industry. She has published widely, edited journals, and supervised PhD candidates across livestock species.
Ross Keane
Ross Keane has led agricultural tours to most continents of the world. As a former Director of JBS and former Chairman of RMAC, he brings a wealth of experience and knowledge of the Red Meat and Livestock Industries particularly, but agriculture generally. His insight into agriculture in foreign countries and how it may affect the Australian Industry are well worth hearing.
Pete Lewis
Pete Lewis is an award-winning journalist with a long and distinguished career. His work has won numerous accolades and citations and is a former National Rural & Regional Reporter for ABC News & Current Affairs, an ABC Foreign Correspondent and Executive Producer of ABC-TV’s award-winning program Landline.
Mark Lucas
Mark Lucas, the principal of Pasture Agronomy Service, is a highly-regarded agronomist/consultant based in Tumut NSW. He is widely accepted as an innovator and largely responsible for the adoption of pasture direct drilling and tetraploid ryegrass in southern NSW and Victoria.
Kerry Moss
Our CEO, Kerry Moss, is a leader in the agritourism sector, with over 30 years of experience across travel and agriculture. With a background in retail travel, group management, airlines, and tourism commissions, she was well placed to join Quadrant Australia in 2007. Since then, Kerry has led the development of our outbound programs, marketing, and commercial operations, and was appointed CEO in 2020.
Ron Paynter
Former managing partner of a family-owned dairy, Ron transitioned from teaching to farm management, contributing significantly to the dairy industry. With roles in advisory groups, governance, and industry mentorship, he continues his impact post the sale of the family business in 2019 and is a Tour Manager at Quadrant Australia.
Emily Perkins
Emily, a University of Queensland graduate from Holbrook, Riverina, has a diverse career spanning feedlot management, breed development for Shorthorn Beef, HR and strategy in early childhood education, and consulting. She remains actively involved in her family’s beef cattle operation and is a Fellow of the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation.
Scott Perkins
Scott Perkins, a Quadrant Australia Director based in Darwin, grew up on a sheep property near Winton, Queensland. After a long Army career, he transitioned to roles in corrections, sugar, mining, and government, earning an MBA along the way. Scott has a lifelong passion for agriculture and outback Australia.
Samantha Jamieson
Sam is a communications and marketing specialist with 35 years experience working in the meat and livestock industry with MLA and APL. Sam views each journey as an opportunity to not only explore the diversity of agriculture, but to learn and share knowledge with fellow travellers, with a dose of fun along the way.
Jason Strong
With 35+ years in the meat and livestock industries, Jason has expertise across the whole supply chain, including corporate leadership roles at MLA and AACo. He has also owned a cattle property and butcher shops and has travelled extensively for business and education focussed on better understanding and improving agriculture.
Kees Van Haasteren
Kees is from the Netherlands and began his working career with the Curacao Trading Company in Amsterdam before emigrating to Australia. He immediately became involved in agriculture, ultimately managing a large mixed property in NSW.
Bill Burton
Bill has a lifelong passion for agriculture instilled from an early age growing up on a family cattle property on the northern Darling Downs in Qld. He enjoys travelling with an agricultural lens, meeting producers, exploring farming systems and discovering the people and communities behind rural industries.