Editorial: Taming Trump
OPINION: The world is bracing for a trade war between the two biggest economies.
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.
The chair of Beef + Lamb NZ, Kate Acland says the rush appears to be on to purchase farms and convert them to forestry before new rules limiting this come into effect.
New Zealand farmers will face higher urea prices this year, mainly on the back of tight global supply and a weak Kiwi dollar.
Andy Caughey of Wool Impact says a lot of people in NZ have been saying it's crazy that we are not using natural fibres in our buildings and houses.
Former chief executive of Beef+Lamb New Zealand Scott Champion will head the Foundation for Arable Research (FAR) from July.
Avian flu getting into New Zealand's poultry industry is the biosecurity threat that is most worrying for Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard.
The annual domestic utilisation of wool will double to 30,000 tonnes because of the edict that government agencies should use woollen fibre products in the construction of new and refurbished buildings.
OPINION: Should Greenpeace be stripped of their charitable status? Farmers say yes.
OPINION: After years of financial turmoil, Canterbury milk processor Synlait is now back in business.