After 18 years under its founding chief executive, Rural West’s planned leadership transition is providing continuity while setting the organisation up for its next phase of growth.
Leadership succession can be a defining period for any organisation, particularly when its chief executive has been at the helm for almost two decades.
For Rural West, the departure of founding chief executive Chris Wheatcroft after 18 years represented both a significant change and an opportunity to demonstrate the strength of the organisation built during his tenure.
Rather than beginning a search after Mr Wheatcroft’s departure, Rural West had planned for the transition: former chief operating officer Tamara Diver moved into the chief executive seat after working alongside Mr Wheatcroft for almost five years.
That approach meant knowledge, relationships and strategic priorities could carry across the leadership change without a gap at the top.
Rural West board chair Andrew Clark said effective succession planning was important to maintaining organisational stability while developing future leaders.
“Successful succession planning ensures the smooth development and transition of key personnel while ensuring business continuity and stability,” Mr Clark said.
“It allows for the DNA of the business to be maintained, while fostering and developing key talent with the ultimate aim of long-term organisational success.”
Mr Wheatcroft’s tenure spanned much of the development of Rural West in its current form, including the establishment of the organisation and the growth of its statewide service model.
Rural West delivers business financial counselling to primary production enterprises and eligible regional small businesses as the Rural Financial Counselling Service of WA.
Rural West’s no-cost, confidential and independent service is available statewide to businesses experiencing or at risk of financial difficulty.
Today, 10 qualified Rural Financial Counsellors work across WA, providing guidance on issues ranging from cash flow, debt restructuring and refinancing to business viability, diversification, succession and exit planning.
Rural West services an average of 633 primary production and regional small business clients each year.
Mr Wheatcroft said the organisation had developed considerably during his tenure while remaining focused on its core purpose.
“If there is a legacy I’m proud to have been part of, it isn’t one person’s achievement,” he said.
“It’s helping build an organisation that will continue serving regional Western Australians long after any one CEO has moved on.”
That organisational continuity is particularly important for a service that has maintained government funding for 18 years and developed relationships with clients and communities across a geographically dispersed state.
For Ms Diver, the transition comes with a deep understanding of both the organisation and the communities it serves.
She brings 15 years of senior leadership experience across operations, finance, human resources, marketing and information technology and spent four-and-a-half years as Rural West’s chief operating officer before becoming CEO.
Raised in a generational farming family and living regionally herself, Ms Diver also brings personal experience of rural life to the position.
Working closely with Mr Wheatcroft, the board and senior leadership team before taking over gave her direct exposure to Rural West’s strategic decisions, funding relationships and service delivery model.
“Having worked so closely with Chris over these past years, I’ve seen firsthand the care and thought that has gone into building Rural West into what it is today,” Ms Diver said.
“I’m looking forward to carrying that forward, alongside our team of Rural Financial Counsellors who are genuinely excellent at what they do.”
The transition comes as Rural West approaches its next stage of development.
Ms Diver’s priorities include strengthening the organisation’s long-term sustainability and growing its service offering for regional businesses and community groups across WA.
The intention is to build on the organisation’s existing capabilities while responding to changing needs across regional communities.
Rural West’s 2026 Client Satisfaction Survey found 94 per cent of respondents were satisfied with the service they received, while 92 per cent said they were better able to deal with their issues following their engagement with Rural West.
The organisation’s approach generally begins with a confidential conversation to understand the circumstances facing a business.
A Rural Financial Counsellor then works alongside the client to develop a clearer picture of the business and identify available options, which may include improving cash flow and financial capability, restructuring debt, refinancing, testing business viability or considering succession and exit strategies.
The client remains the decision-maker throughout the process.
For Ms Diver, the opportunity now is to retain the relationships and capabilities developed over almost two decades while preparing Rural West for what regional WA will need next, growing the current service offering to reach more small regional businesses and community groups.
The leadership has changed, but the planned nature of that transition means Rural West can move into its next phase with its existing foundations intact – and a clear focus on building from them.
