WA livestock legend Dean Hubbard joins Agora to lead livestock market expansion

Agora Livestock has landed a major signing with industry heavyweight Dean Hubbard joining the team as its head of markets, bringing more than 40 years of experience and a serious track record in commercial livestock trading.

Mr Hubbard will start his new role on June 3, after recently holding senior roles as WA Commercial Livestock Manager at both Elders and AWN, and is widely regarded as one of the most connected and trusted names in the livestock industry.

Agora founder and chief executive Rob Kelly said Mr Hubbard’s appointment marked a major step forward for the company as it looked to scale its national marketplace and brokerage operations.

“Dean knows how to build real markets — not just manage transactions,” Mr Kelly said.

“He knows the people, understands how agency works, and has seen first hand where the traditional systems fall short.

“He’s come on board because he believes in what we’re building — and he wants to be part of the change.”

Agora’s platform, including its Stockbook system for managing livestock bookings, has been quietly gaining momentum since its it was launched by Kojonup-raised Mr Kelly in 2018.

Feedlots and processors have adopted the platform to help streamline their booking management to remove delivery errors and tighten up supply agreements whilst improving communication with suppliers and agents.

Mr Hubbard will be work directly with producers, buyers, agents and feedlots to unlock market access, drive efficiency, and open up new opportunities.

His work will have a close focus on forward pricing and interstate trade, where Agora believes structural change has created space space for more innovation.

Backed by a strong board, including Peter Toll, Greg Harvey and Mr Kelly, Agora is eyeing its first capital raise to accelerate its growth.

The company has already attracted high-profile investors, including large cattle and sheep feedlots.

Mr Hubbard said he believed there had “never been a more exciting time” to be “building something better for the livestock industry,”

“The demand for better market access, clearer pricing, and more efficient trading is real — and Agora is well positioned to lead the charge,” he said.

Agora Livestock was founded in 2018 and was initially called LIVEstock Pricing.

It has since evolved from a simple service that shared livestock prices to a platform providing price discovery, market access and supply chain efficiency for Australia’s livestock buyers, sellers and agents.

“When we started Agora, our aim was simple — to make the livestock market more efficient,” Mr Kelly said.

“We began by giving producers and agents a clearer view of pricing through grids and saleyard reports. With Dean now on board, we’re taking the next step — building new markets and connecting the right buyers and sellers in the right way.”