Andy Clark, Head of Payment Solutions at Farmlands, reflects on his career journey and lends his advice to those looking to follow in his footsteps.  

What did you want to do career-wise when you left school?

When I left school, I started training as an electronic technician. Pretty quickly, I realised working in a workshop wasn’t for me. I wanted to be interacting with people. That’s when I decided I wanted a job where I could work with others every day.

Tell us about your career to date.

After ending my time as an electronic technician, I moved into retail sales. From there, I progressed into assistant management and then spent several years as a store manager. 

After 12 years in retail I moved into financial services, working with major retailers to grow business by leveraging interest free, a role I held for nine years. I was then promoted to Head of Growth for another year. 

I joined Farmlands in Oct 2022 as a Card Partnership Development Manager, and now, as of Aug 2025, I’m Head of Payment Solutions.

What led you to Farmlands? 

Farmlands’ co-op model stood out to me because it’s all about helping members and making a real difference in rural communities.

How have you grown in your time with us at Farmlands? 

I’ve learned a lot about the rural sector and how important it is to keep things simple and practical for our members.

I’ve also had the chance to be involved in some significant projects and work with many of the different internal teams, which has helped me grow my skills and focus even more on what our customers need.

What have been your key achievements / what are you most proud of at Farmlands? 

I’m proud of helping enable new payment solutions systems that make life easier, and more secure, for our members and Card Partners.

What I like most is working with people who care about what they do. Right now, I’m excited about how we’re using technology to make payments safer and simpler.

What would your advice be for someone who's interested in a career in your area at Farmlands?

Start anywhere you can and be willing to learn. You don’t need to know everything on day one. Focus on great customer service, learn how things work, and ask questions.     

If you’re interested in a particular area, then talk to people in those roles and see what skills you can pick up.

People in Farmlands are approachable and are supportive of each other’s development.

Interested in learning more about our Merchandise team?

Check out our Merchandise page for more details.

Interested in working with Andy in the Merchandise Team?

Connect with us on our careers site and check out our current Vacancies, or get in touch via careers@farmlands.co.nz.