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Former NT chief minister Adam Giles in charge of Gina Rinehart's Hancock Agriculture, S. Kidman & Co.

Adam Giles was the chief minister of the Northern Territory from 2013 to 2016. (ABC News: James Purtill)

Former chief minister of the Northern Territory Adam Giles will extend his term as chief executive officer of Gina Rinehart's Hancock Agriculture and S. Kidman & Co.  

Mr Giles was first employed by Hancock in 2017, just months after losing the NT election.

He was made interim CEO of Hancock Agriculture and Kidman in late 2022, following the sudden departure of John McKillop.

In a statement posted by Mr Giles, he confirmed he will stay on as CEO for at least the rest of this year.

"After initially coming on in 2022 for a short eight-week stint as interim CEO at Hancock Agriculture and S. Kidman & Co., I have agreed to continue in the CEO's role until early 2024," he said.

"As part of my continuing role, I have also agreed to assist in other parts of the broader Hancock Group."

He said to "best manage potential conflicts and workloads" he had stepped aside from some of his other ventures post-politics including as non-executive chair of Constance Iron.

However, Mr Giles said he would continue on in other roles including with ASX-listed explorer Locksley Resources and ASX-listed Pure Hydrogen.

Gina Rinehart once described Adam Giles as "one of the best leaders in Australia". (Supplied: Hancock Prospecting/James Radford)

Mr Giles's appointment comes in the same week that S. Kidman & Co. revealed it had sold four of its cattle stations in northern Australia.

The sale of Durrie, Naryilco, Glengyle, and Brunchilly leaves the Kidman portfolio of stations a shadow of its former self under pioneer Sir Sidney Kidman.

But while the Kidman portfolio declines, Hancock Agriculture has been investing heavily in grazing and cropping properties in New South Wales, Queensland, and Western Australia, and runs one of Australia's largest herds of full-blood Wagyu cattle.

Mr Giles has become a farmer in his own right, running Angus cattle and ultra-fine merinos on his family property in western Victoria.

In 2016, during a speech in Darwin, Mrs Rinehart described Adam Giles as "one of the best leaders in Australia".

Mr Giles has been contacted for further comment.

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