Wednesday, 18 November 2015 12:10

Young ‘hubsters’ develop new business models for Fonterra

Written by  Pam Tipa
Theo Spierings at the China Business Summit in Auckland. Theo Spierings at the China Business Summit in Auckland.

Fonterra is setting up hubs of entrepreneurial young people to develop new business models, says Fonterra chief executive Theo Spierings.

He says even he is too old for the kind of thinking needed: it requires 20-25-year-olds. Three hubs have already been set up in Asia, and he plans another in Auckland via their graduate programme.

"You see the entrepreneurial mindsets kicking in big time," Spierings told Rural News. "You need to disrupt your own system... If you want to develop a good commerce strategy you need to think differently.

"I'm too old; you need young people like my kids, they don't watch TV, they watch YouTube. They are constantly connected in social media. So it is a completely different world. We have no clue what it means.

"We need these people with brains to develop the business models for the future. If we don't get these people in, these youngsters with brains from a high level, we cannot follow China because the transformation is going so fast."

Spierings says China does not have a vested interest – as does US or Europe – in massive infrastructure or distributors and retailers. So China can shift from the traditional sales channels to the new sales channels much faster than anybody else.

"They can shift the game from here to there and it is scary because it is a 1.4 billion people shift."

Fonterra's hubs of young people have already been set up in Malaysia, China and Indonesia, reporting to the managing director, Spierings says. He wants another in digital and e-commerce in Auckland via the graduate programme.

"We push them to come up with the best possible business models and the best get rewarded. We tell them you get NZ$5m to invest in the business model and come back in a year and show that it works. These are peanut investments but you can get huge results."

Earlier he told a China Business Summit in Auckland these groups of 20-25-year-olds are like Dragon's Den – a television programme where people with a business idea pitch to potential investors.

He said in his previous company in 2008 they used the same approach for a baby food brand. The successful model got 10m euros to invest; now it is a 1b euro business with a 200m euro profit.

China's demographics are changing: they have a 1-2 child policy and 400-500m middle class people with good income but technology and e-commerce may be the biggest disruption.

"If we're not as fast as China and China's consumers we will lose market share."

More like this

Driving change within Fonterra fleet

Today is International Women’s Day, and this year Fonterra wants to shine a light on the women who defy stereotypes and prosper in traditionally male-dominated fields. Erin Wootten, a tanker operator out of the Fonterra Reparoa Site, is doing just that.

Co-op decarbonisation leader's Antarctic trip

At the beginning of November 2023, Linda Mulvihill, Fonterra’s general manager energy & climate, flew to Ushuaia, Argentina, where she boarded a ship and began a 19-day voyage to Antarctica.

Featured

Govt urged to reduce ETS units

The Climate Change Commission wants the new Government to reduce NZ Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction volumes as son as possible.

Dairy sheep, goat woes mount

Dairy sheep and goat farmers are being told to reduce milk supply as processors face a slump in global demand for their products.

Alliance's Pure South cuts win gold

Meat co-operative Alliance Group has bagged four gold medals at the Outstanding NZ Food Producer Awards, achieving top honours for every cut entered.

Dairy demand on the rise

There is increasing evidence that dairy demand is on the upswing, according to Rabobank senior agricultural analyst Emma Higgins.

Fert use tumbles as prices spike

Fertiliser use in New Zealand over the 18 months is about 25% down from what it consistently was for the previous decade or more, says Ravensdown chief operating officer Mike Whitty.

National

Waikato dryer sold

An independent milk spray dryer in Hamilton, destined for liquidation, has been bought by a South Auckland goat milk processor.

Machinery & Products

Samasz sets its sights high

Since its arrival in New Zealand, Polish mower manufacturer Samasz, currently celebrating 40 years in business, has carved a niche…

Trojan keeps on going

The DR200 Trojan farm two-wheeler motorcycle was introduced over 28 years ago, when the engineering team at Suzuki New Zealand…

Still going strong!

The saying goes ‘if it ain’t broke -don’t fix it’, so it’s no surprise to see an old favourite in…

» Latest Print Issues Online

Milking It

'A complete dog

OPINION: It's not just a rural banking inquiry that farmers want. Freshwater farm plans are another major headache for farmers.

Action, not words

OPINION: The new Government may be farmer friendly, but it's not love, rather action that farmers want.

» Connect with Dairy News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter