Tuesday, 06 August 2013 14:21

Fonterra revamps executive team

Written by 

FONTERRA HAS appointed two new members to its executive management team.

 

Former Nestle executive Lukas Paravicini takes over in September as the chief financial officer. He replaces Jonathan Mason, who retires after four years in the job.

The co-op has also appointed Jacqueline Chow to the newly created position of managing director global brands and nutrition. Chow will drive Fonterra’s overall marketing, innovation and research activities.

Fonterra chief executive Theo Spierings says the appointments reflect well on the cooperative’s continued ability as a global player in the dairy industry to attract high calibre, internationally experienced people to senior management roles.

“Lukas and Jacqueline will join our team which is focused on driving our V3 strategy forward. We look forward to them contributing their expertise at the top table.

“Lukas’ strengths and experience will be a considerable asset to Fonterra. He really understands dairy and has lived and worked in some of our most strategically important markets. 

“Jacqueline will bring extensive FMCG and marketing experience to our marketing and innovation agenda in support of our strategy.”

Paravicini joins Fonterra after 22 years with Nestle. He has been general manager for Nestle Professional Europe for the last two years and prior to this he held a number of senior finance positions in different parts of the Nestle business including running its global business services and spending 10 years in Latin America.

Chow has a 20-year career in global blue-chip multinationals and joins Fonterra from Arnott’s, where she was general manager of Australia and New Zealand and led the growth of its $1 billion business. She has held executive marketing and innovation roles in Campbell’s and the Kellogg Company, and started her career as a strategy consultant in consumer products. 

With these appointments the Fonterra management team which drives the strategy and day-to-day performance of the business now comprises:

Managing director NZ Milk Products, Gary Romano 

Managing director APMEA (acting), Johan Priem 

Managing director Greater China & India, Kelvin Wickham 

Managing director Latin America, Alex Turnbull 

Chief financial officer, Lukas Paravicini 

Managing director global brands & nutrition, Jacqueline Chow 

Managing director people, culture & services, Chris Caldwell 

The roles of group director strategy, Maury Leyland, group director cooperative affairs, Todd Muller, and a new role of group director communications, Kerry Underhill, will provide group-wide support and report to Spierings. Group director mergers & acquisitions, Paul Campbell, will report to Paravicini.

Ian Palliser, who was previously MD group optimisation & supply chain, is taking up a role leading one of Fonterra’s key strategic initiatives. The functions within his previous role have been incorporated into other areas of Fonterra’s management team.

Sarah Kennedy’s next move will be the subject of a separate announcement. Kennedy was previously MD Fonterra Nutrition which has been incorporated primarily into the new global brands & nutrition function. 

The new organisation structure will take effect from the start of Fonterra’s financial year on August 1.

More like this

All eyes on NZ milk supply

All eyes are on milk production in New Zealand and its impact on global dairy prices in the coming months.

"Our" business?

OPINION: One particular bone the Hound has been gnawing on for years now is how the chattering classes want it both ways when it comes to the success of NZ's dairy industry.

Farmers' call

OPINION: Fonterra's $4.22 billion consumer business sale to Lactalis is ruffling a few feathers outside the dairy industry.

Wasted energy

OPINION: Finance Minister Nicola Willis could have saved her staff and MBIE time and effort over ‘buttergate’ recently by not playing politics with butter prices in the first place.

Featured

Australia develops first local mRNA FMD vaccine

Foot and Mouth Disease outbreaks could have a detrimental impact on any country's rural sector, as seen in the United Kingdom's 2000 outbreak that saw the compulsory slaughter of over six million animals.

NZ household food waste falls again

Kiwis are wasting less of their food than they were two years ago, and this has been enough to push New Zealand’s total household food waste bill lower, the 2025 Rabobank KiwiHarvest Food Waste survey has found.

Editorial: No joking matter

OPINION: Sir Lockwood Smith has clearly and succinctly defined what academic freedom is all about, the boundaries around it and the responsibility that goes with this privilege.

DairyNZ plantain trials cut nitrate leaching by 26%

DairyNZ says its plantain programme continues to deliver promising results, with new data confirming that modest levels of plantain in pastures reduce nitrogen leaching, offering farmers a practical, science-backed tool to meet environmental goals.

National

Machinery & Products

Leader balers arrive in NZ

Officially launched at the National Fieldays event in June, the Leader in-line conventional PRO 1900 balers are imported and distributed…

JDLink Boost for NZ farms

Connectivity is widely recognised as one of the biggest challenges facing farmers, but it is now being overcome through the…

New generation Defender HD11

The all-new 2026 Can-Am Defender HD11 looks likely to raise the bar in the highly competitive side-by-side category.

» Latest Print Issues Online

Milking It

Full cabinet

OPINION: Legislation being drafted to bring back the controversial trade of live animal exports by sea is getting stuck in the…

» Connect with Dairy News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter