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After 34 years with Fonterra, and overseeing many parts of the business, Kelvin Wickham has recently left the dairy co-op. Photo credit: Mark van der Brink.
Retiring Fonterra executive Kelvin Wickham says the main highlight of his 34-year career with the dairy co-op has been seeing people develop and excel.
Wickham stepped down recently as managing director of Americas, Europe, Middle East and Africa, and North Asia (AMENA) business.
He told Rural News that building diverse teams and the next generation of people and leaders is crucial.
“And ultimately that’s how I judge my time with the business,” he says.
“In my time with Fonterra, I’ve gained knowledge and experience that I could only dream of. I’ll be forever thankful for that. I’ve done my best to pass that knowledge onto the co-op’s future leaders, as well as pass down the customer relationships I’ve inherited.”
Following Wickham’s departure, the AMENA business has been combined with the Asia Pacific business (APAC) and is now called Global Markets.
Wickham says this heralds an exciting new future for the combined businesses.
“It’s an opportunity to transform ways of working, and work more in sync with their colleagues across the world than ever before.”
The AMENA spanned the Americas, Europe, Middle East and Africa, and North Asia, an extremely diverse customer base.
Wickham says in more developed markets, such as Europe, US, and North Asia, sustainability is really top of mind.
“We face intense pressure from customers and consumers to make our operations more sustainable,” he told Rural News.
“At the same time, customers really value the NZ provenance of our products and commercial claims, like grass-fed and cared for cows, which they can add to their products to help differentiate in the market.”
However, in places like the Middle East and Africa, though there are more developed economies in parts of those regions, there is more focus on getting bang for buck nutrition and how customers can benefit from and consume the goodness of dairy, but at a price point they can afford.
But Wickham says now more customers in those markets are asking about sustainability too. He adds that they also love to consume products that showcase the NZ provenance of our products and the unique benefits of that.
Many Career Highlights
Wickham believes AMENA has done a fantastic job to create a powerful momentum over the past few years.
“That’s been hard won during the pandemic, accomplished through having clarity of focus, defining the areas where we can win, and going after them as a team.”
Wickham also lists the growth in Fonterra’s ingredients business as one of his highlights.
He told Rural News that has worked in many markets across the world, and seen all channels reach new levels of growth.
“And when I think of my roles, they’ve always had an element of change and transformation in them,” he explains.
“It’s been a personal highlight to see how our ingredients business in particular has evolved, watching it do its part to take our business to new heights of growth and innovation.”
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