In this episode of Selling in the Paddock, Georgia chats with Andrew Morgan, CEO/Director at SFM and co-founder of Hydrowood, about building trust in sales, innovating under pressure, and how forestry intersects with carbon markets. From uni-bar lessons in reading the room to raising capital for an underwater-forestry barge on Tasmania’s wild west coast, Andrew covers the grit, trade-offs and persistence behind genuinely sustainable businesses.
From Bernie to boards: Andrew’s path through plant science, consulting and asset management to leading SFM (≈50,000 ha under management).
Hydrowood’s origin story: salvaging standing timber from hydro lakes; designing a 145-tonne self-propelled barge; why the wood emerges sound after decades underwater.
Carbon + forestry, explained: how ACCUs change plantation cashflow (revenue from years 3–15 vs. waiting ~30 years), and why demand for high-integrity credits matters.
Relationship-first selling: playing the long game (coffee, no immediate ask), advising prospects to seek independent advice, and earning trust before “the ask”.
Working with government: show up with ideas and information, not just requests—so when you do ask, they listen.
Innovation & risk: testing nothing until launch day; building “option value” into assets to mitigate downside; being tenacious when the chorus says “it won’t work”.
Trade-offs over perfection: balancing sustainability with practicality—there are no perfect solutions, only trade-offs.
Career advice for emerging leaders: get a mentor, back yourself, and don’t fear course-corrections when the market points to a better path.
Trust compounds: invest early in relationships without pitching; credibility makes the later sale faster.
De-risk innovation: design exits/secondary uses for new assets (plan B, C).
Cashflow matters: carbon revenue can bridge the long forestry cycle—model it conservatively.
Lead with value: bring insight to policymakers and customers; be the person they’re glad to see.
Optimise, don’t idealise: decide explicitly which trade-offs you’ll accept, then execute.
ACCUs (Australian Carbon Credit Units) and the safeguard mechanism (context for demand).
TV: House of the Dragon (Andrew said “House of Guinness” 😄), A Killer Paradox / new Netflix thrillers.
Gaming: Battlefield 6 (Andrew’s wind-down).
Andrew Morgan — CEO/Director, SFM; Co-founder, Hydrowood; forestry, carbon and nature-based solutions; based in Hobart, TAS.
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