David Lyons has travelled around the world chasing a rugby ball. From the time he started to take the game seriously as a 15-year-old he was earmarked for success. Twice he toured Europe with the Australian schoolboys, opening his eyes to a world significantly larger than the one he experienced growing up in the NSW country town of Molong.

Lyons played 46 tests for the Wallabies over 8 years including two World Cups and a British Lions tour. At just 28 years he picked up his ball and moved to Wales for a few seasons before settling in France for a longer stint.

It was in Europe that he started to plan for his future. He studied at Oxford and in Monaco. This set him up for a career in finance.

Heading back to Australia, Lyons picked up a role at KPMG before eventually deciding to pitch his own tent. In 2021 he joined with some other like-minded professionals and launched AAG Partners. The group specialises in the agriculture sector.

Acutely aware from his farming days in Molong of the financial volatility in the agricultural industry, he has deliberately sought out ways to deliver higher returns with less risk.

In this podcast, Lyons talks about the journey from rural NSW to representing Australia at an elite level on the global stage. He also shares his passion for continuous learning and how this is helping to uncover new opportunities through his agriculture investment firm AAG Partners.

• 0:00 - Introduction
• 1:30 - Growing up in Molong
• 7:00 - A passion for agriculture and entrepreneurship
• 9:15 - Building a career in Rugby
• 16:02 - What it takes to be truly great in any field
• 21:52 - Going global and moving to Europe
• 26:13 - Continuous learning and development
• 28:29 - Returning to Australia
• 29:30 - Starting AAG Partners
• 34:45 - A formula for higher returns for less risk in agriculture
• 39:45 - A revolution in cotton farming