Wesfarmers startup picks CEO

Wesfarmers’ new technology agribusiness, Decipher, has appointed its first chief executive, after recruiting Anthony Walker from international geospatial services company AAM.

Mr Walker began the role earlier this month, having previously served as general manager at Telstra Health’s Communicare business.

He also worked as general manager at AAM’s GeoSolutions business for 1.5 years.

Decipher, which is part of Wesfarmers Chemicals, Energy & Fertilisers, is a cloud-based data storage and digital mapping platform targeted at the agriculture industry.

The startup launched last year and has released the DeipherGO app, which allows farmers to gather, evaluate and report on farm nutrition information.

The app links with Decipher, enabling users to see farm imagery, nutritional insights and notes from their mobile.

“We are excited Anthony is joining the WesCEF team as CEO for Decipher,” WesCEF chief executive Ian Hansen said.

“Anthony’s understanding of strategic planning and product management together with his extensive international experience operating in client facing roles in the digital space will be a huge asset for the company.

“Under Anthony’s leadership, Decipher will provide customers with greater visualisation and enhanced usability, aimed at bringing farm data to life and allowing customers to view their land like never before.”

Mr Walker said he was looking forward to working with Decipher.

“I have a passion for drones, maps and software tools, so my career has been built on computer science and GIS,” he said.

“Having come from a farming background, I’m extremely excited that I can work with the fantastic Decipher team to bring powerful insights to farming operations.”