Always in Kontango #3: Chris Lawson of CRU

In this third episode of “Always in Kontango,” we had the pleasure of speaking with Chris Lawson, Head of Fertilizers at CRU.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/1jQioFr1z4Rt9vc880xUkx?si=ab48bfd4a34c4933

Having been involved in commodity trading his whole life, Chris’ story began on a dairy farm in South Australia. He studied agriculture science at the University of Adelaide and worked in a variety of roles within agriculture. Growing up on a dryland dairy farm without irrigation, Chris details his prior experiences and how they have taught him the meaning of hard work and innovation. He mentions how agriculture as an industry will always hold a special place in his heart as he shares a deep love for the constant ability to learn from the international nature of the commodities market.

When it comes to guidance and development, Chris explains how the interactions he has shared with his colleagues and bosses have been most impactful for his career. He emphasizes the importance of building and maintaining good relationships with his customers to create trust and to extract meaningful learnings. 

From a value system perspective, Chris believes maintaining a curious mindset is the key driver in keeping him interested and engaged in his work. He finds that remaining curious and asking questions results in receiving higher engagement along with greater personal benefit. Chris shares that this philosophy on curiosity is something he works to instill in the team he manages at CRU, as he finds this approach to be most beneficial. 

In this podcast episode, we hear about Chris’ backstory and the experiences that led him into the career he has today. Join us in this episode as we dive deeper into Chris’ personal journey in regards to career development, breakdown his core leadership values, and listen to his learnings from his global experiences. 

Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/4M0wXNIvCDA8HB7WHtBVf0?si=46d6db8afd43421d

Always in Kontango #3: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1jQioFr1z4Rt9vc880xUkx?si=ab48bfd4a34c4933

In this episode: Chris Lawson (Head of Fertilizers, CRU), Christian Callender-Easby (CEO, Kontango)