Joining our series for a rare & exclusive interview are special guests, Johnny and Markus Kahlbetzer - members of one of Australia’s most remarkable and enduring business dynasty’s.
 
Following in their revered father John’s footsteps, the pair have assembled a coveted portfolio of holdings, Johnny through his diversified Twynam Investments business that operates across the energy, agriculture and property sectors and Markus through his BridgeLane Group - a privately owned asset management firm with exposure in the venture capital, real estate and agriculture industries.
 
The Kahlbetzer Family’s unique history and storied presence in Australia extends over the course of more than seven decades, commencing with John’s migration from Germany to Perth in 1954, wherein he initially began working on offshore oil rigs before later finding employment in the steel industry.
 
In the late 1950’s, John moved from Perth to Adelaide and began working for a trading firm known as Heine Brothers, forging relationships internationally including in China wherein German travellers were admitted entry (whilst Australians were unable to visit).
 
John then left Heine Brothers and established a firm known as Methco with Rudi Meth, later purchasing his partner’s stake in the business and re-naming the company to Australian Metal Holdings.
 
Armed a with passion for hard-work coupled with the realisation that his newly adopted homeland offered an abundance of opportunity, John began amassing rural properties and in 1969, he purchased his first regional holding, a 100 hectare hobby farm outside Picton in New South Wales - in the process, launching the first iteration of the Twynam Group.
 
Over the course of the ensuing four-plus decades, John split his time between Argentina and Australia, building Twynam Agricultural Group into a global behemoth with a broad array of investments including over 22 broad-acre cropping & livestock holdings in Australia encompassing in excess of 450,000 hectares, over 80,000 hectares of land in Argentina via LIAG, an array of commercial property assets across Sydney as well as stakes in mineral exploration companies across the World.
 
The next evolution in the history of the Kahlbetzer Family is equally as interesting and forms the basis of today’s discussion - eldest son Johnny joined Twynam in 1991 as Chief Operating Officer and was instrumental in a number of deals including the acquisition of Colly Cotton in 1991, the divestment of a significant shareholding in AAco in 1995, the divestment of part of the firm’s irrigation entitlements in 2009 and the sell down of the family’s agricultural assets across Australia between 2009 and 2018.
 
More recently in his role as Chief Executive Officer of Twynam, Johnny has diversified the firm’s investment mandate, incorporating holdings in renewable resources, sustainable agriculture and venture capital, as well as significant property development activities via Jemalong Property Group - all of which are explored in greater detail throughout our conversation.
 
Born in California though spending much of his early life in Argentina, Markus Kahlbetzer moved to Sydney in 2001 and completed a Bachelor of Agricultural Economics at the University of Sydney before joining the family business as an Executive Director in 2004.
 
Markus was instrumental in a number of key deals during his five years at Twynam before utilising funds raised from the divestment of water entitlements and a large portfolio of Australian agricultural assets to launch BridgeLane Group in 2009 - his private family office that boasts a remarkable track-record of investment success including in such ventures as Amaysim, Airtasker and BrickX to name a few.
 
Over the course of the past decade in particular, both Johnny and Markus have carved out their own career pathways and interests whilst simultaneously supporting each other’s growth along the journey - the sale of the family’s Argentinian agriculture business, LIAG, in late 2022 in a $300m transaction provided even greater opportunity for the pair to deploy capital & signalled the beginnings of a new chapter in their storied careers.
 
Our exclusive discussion with special guests Johnny & Markus Kahlbetzer delves into the family’s legacy, the major successes & challenges they’ve encountered along the journey, analysis of key deals and transactions across their respective businesses and the sectors & industries within which they see opportunities for investment in the years to come.
 
The Interview - Australia's Flagship Business Series.
 
Proudly produced, licensed & distributed exclusively via Ready Media Group.
 
Further information:
 
https://readymedia.com.au/
 
https://www.twynam.com/
 
https://bridgelane.com.au/