Embattled rural services group Elders Ltd has appointed a new CEO in the effort to shore up the company after the departure of John Ballard.

Elders will now undergo a full restructure under the command of Chairman Mark Allison. The company is seeking to rebuild itself as a “pure play rural services business”.

Mr Allison is no new-comer to the agribusiness market; he has spent years in fields from research to executive management, up to his most recent role as chief executive of Grain Growers Ltd.

“The process of returning Elders to its original rural services focus is now nearing its final stages and we thank John for his contribution to this process,” Mr Allison said.

Elders can be seen to have had a rough 2012, the year saw numerous rounds of redundancies and the selling off of several services.