Our Executive Team

Portrait of John Howard

Chief Executive Officer

John Howard

MBA, AGSM, AICD

John Howard is a strong leader and experienced Chief Executive Officer with expertise in agriculture and financial industries. He is recognised for building highly effective and engaged teams in times of market expansion and rapid change. He is particularly strong at developing and deploying business strategy.  

John spent nearly 10 years in the grains industry as well as time spent in a stock and station agency and running the family farm in Walgett, NSW. He has worked across all areas of the agricultural supply chain, from primary production (family and corporate farming), commodity marketing, trading, manufacturing and food marketing. He also has experience in financial investment markets and financial restructuring. Prior to the RIC, John worked as a senior leader in organisations such as AAM Investment Group, CommStream Capital, Peanut Company of Australia, Golden Circle Limited and Mars Inc/Masterfoods.  

John has a strong appreciation for organisational governance and risk and holds a Masters of Business Administration and is a Graduate of the Australian Graduate School of Management and the Australian Institute of Company Directors. 


Photo of Alli Gartrell

Executive Director Program Delivery

Alli Gregory

BCom (Hons) 

Alli joined the RIC in February 2021 as Executive Director Program Delivery and leads our loan operations including assessment and credit functions.

Alli has 15 years’ experience in banking across commercial and government programs.

Prior to the RIC, Alli was Manager Program Administration at the NSW Rural Assistance Authority (RAA) where she spent four years leading and managing the delivery of the RAA’s program portfolio including loans, grants and other funding programs. She also led her team to embed best-practice operational tools and processes to support efficient program delivery aligned to governance and risk frameworks.

She also spent 10 years in the banking sector with ANZ, working as a senior manager responsible for the Central West’s retail branch network.

Alli has a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of New England and lives in Orange, NSW.