Ruralco CEO Wins Excellence in Business Leadership at ANZ Business of the Year Awards
Tony Aitken, chief executive of Ruralco, has been awarded the Excellence in Business Leadership Award at the ANZ Business of the Year Awards.
Ruralco Group chief executive Robert Sharkie is resigning after six years in the role and eight years with the co-operative.
“I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at Ruralco, the challenges it has provided and I am very proud of Ruralco’s achievements during my time at the helm,” says Sharkie.
“It is the dedication and the passion of the people who work for Ruralco that has made these achievements possible and I commend them for their efforts and wish them well,” he adds.
Sir David Carter, chairman of Ruralco, says he has accepted Sharkie’s decision with mixed emotions.
“Rob’s contribution to Ruralco has been significant, but I respect his decision that the time is right for him to pursue another chapter in his life,” Carter says. “He leaves with my complete support and best wishes for his future endeavours.”
Ruralco’s GM people and culture Tony Aitken will step into the role of acting chief executive while the board initiates its recruitment process for a new chief executive.
Aitken comes from a background in people leadership and was part of Synlait’s journey as it grew from 140 staff to over 1,000.
He will begin in the acting chief executive position at Ruralco on 1 September 2023.
Hinehou Timutimu, the 2026 Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year, says she feels privileged to have won the award.
Irish meat processor Dawn Meats has acquired Alexander Eyckeler GmbH, a long-standing German customer and partner of Alliance Group, for an undisclosed sum.
ACT's new immigration policy has come under fire from farmers and the Government.
A hypothesis in a major dairy research programme that bulls genetically proven to be low methane producers could pass this trait onto their lactating daughters has been proven to be incorrect.
ACT MP and Minister for Biosecurity Andrew Hoggard says he's hearing a common story about school buses, with empty seats, driving past pick-up points, while a parent follows behind in a farm ute, burning fuel and taking up time to get their children to school.
The Envrionmental Protection Authority (EPA) has welcomed the deicsion by the Environmental Law Initiative (ELI) to withdraw its appeal of the High Court's decision confirming the Authority had acted lawfully when deciding not to reassess glyphosate.

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