Cr Sam Coupland

Sam was raised on a mixed farming property east of Tamworth and came to Armidale for school and university. After twenty years working in Sydney and abroad he and his wife chose to raise their children in Armidale so they could enjoy all the benefits of a thriving regional city. 

Early in his career, Sam worked for the international consulting firm Ernst & Young before becoming an owner of the specialist advisory firm FMRC (which has its origins in Armidale). In this role he works with businesses to improve profitability, identify growth opportunities and build employment. 

In 2016, wanting to return to his roots in agriculture, Sam established and now operates a large scale cattle business in North Queensland.

As a business owner, Sam has spent the past 20 years improving businesses or building them from the ground up.  He has employed people through the good times and carried them through the tough times. 

Sam brings a unique skillset and perspective to the Armidale Regional Council:

• the financial and analytical skills developed working with leading businesses in Australia and overseas;

• hands-on management expertise from the last 15 years as the owner of two small businesses employing 12 people;

• mediation and negotiation skills and a love of working with people of all walks of life;

• a deep seated understanding that those without personal agency should also have a voice (having the privilege of being the father of a child with a disability).