Julian Roche
Julian holds a first class degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from Oxford University, an MPhil in politics from Exeter University and a PhD in agricultural risk management policy from Deakin University. He is an Adjunct Lecturer in the Agriculture Department of the University of Western Australia. He began his career with the UK Civil Service in 1985, specialising in foreign trade and economic modelling, and was then picked for the mainstream Civil Service fast stream. After leaving for the private sector as an economist and forecaster at the firms that now form Global Insight, he then worked on a range of commodity derivative contracts for the London Commodity Exchange, and then set up his own consultancy in 1991 with a range of clients including banks and land brokers. In 1995 he was appointed a senior consultant to a venture capital company, Hudson Venture Partners, where he advised on corporate structure, flotations, trade sales and business valuations, holding that position until 2000. Since then he has been working primarily as a consultant, advising global banks, and government agencies including UNCTAD, on aspects of agribusiness, investment, valuation and restructuring. He has also published a number of books on trade, commodities and finance, including one on commodity derivatives, and most recently a workbook on Agribusiness Investment Modelling. His career in training commenced in 1998 and he regularly presents seminars worldwide on a range of agribusiness and financial topics, with a particular interest in corporate strategy, commodities, valuation, leasing, and due diligence. He has also presented seminars to companies, investment bankers, government agencies, and other financial organisations worldwide and currently delivers around 100 to 120 days a year of training. His particular expertise is in the Middle East, where the majority of his consultancy and training is, and where he has also advised several leading organisations such as the Qatar Sovereign Wealth Fund, the World Bank, and the Commonwealth Agricultural Bureau.