Friday, 20 December 2019 12:52

Fonterra revamps China operation management team

Written by  Sudesh Kissun
Teh-Han Chow. Teh-Han Chow.

Fonterra has appointed Teh-Han Chow as its interim chief executive officer for Greater China.

Chow, currently president of NZMP for Greater China, will hold the newly created role as the co-op works though the recruitment process for a permanent appointment.

Fonterra has confirmed that its president for Greater China Consumer and Foodservice, Christina Zhu has resigned.

Zhu had played a key role in the development of Fonterra’s Chinese markets. She also sat on the board of troubled company Beingmate as a Fonterra representative.

The dairy giant paid $750 million for its 18.8% shareholding in March 2015, in a bid to gain access to Chinese consumers for its infant formula. Beingmate’s financial woes forced the co-op to write down the investment by $439m: it is now in the process of selling those shares.

Fonterra chief executive Miles Hurrell says the creation of this new role on the Fonterra management team reflects the importance of the China market to the co-op: it will sit alongside the other regional CEO roles for AMENA, Kelvin Wickham, and APAC, Judith Swales.

“Teh-Han, who is currently our President NZMP for Greater China and South East Asia, has agreed to take on this responsibility in an interim capacity while we work through the recruitment process for a permanent CEO Greater China,” says Hurrell. 

“Teh-Han is a proven food sector executive, with extensive experience leading large organisations across Consumer and Ingredients businesses. During his time at Fonterra he’s demonstrated his ability to grow a business by putting customers front and centre, which is exactly what our new operating model is about.”

Before joining Fonterra in 2015, Teh-Han was the CEO of Louis Dreyfus in China, a leading merchant and processor of agricultural goods. He was also managing director Greater China for Simplot, a food and agribusiness company.

More like this

Fonterra & Silver Fern Farms Launch Beef-on-Dairy Programme

As dairy farmers lock in plans for the upcoming mating season, a partnership between Fonterra and Silver Fern Farms has been formed with the aim of making it simpler to create additional value from calves not entering the replacement herd.

Featured

Editorial: The Price of Progress

OPINION: Alistair Carmichael raises some interesting questions about striking a balance between profitability in farming and preserving the character of rural communities.

NZ Ploughing Champions' Gear Stuck at Sea Before Worlds

Ploughing champions Mark Dillon and Malcolm Taylor earned the right to represent the country at the World Ploughing Championships in Osijek, Croatia, on 5 and 6 September, after winning their titles at the New Zealand Ploughing Championships in Middlemarch in 2025.

National

Machinery & Products

» Latest Print Issues Online

Milking It

Common sense

OPINION: City and regional councils have been put on notice - stop using extreme climate forecasting scenarios that can drive…

Going Green

OPINION: The Green Party’s rivers and oceans policy may have a new name but nothing else has changed.

» Connect with Dairy News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter