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Henry van der Heyden says the importance of leadership is vital in creating change.
Former Fonterra chairman Sir Henry van der Heyden has described his leadership style as essentially "very simple".
Accepting a prestigious business award in Melbourne recently, the Waikato farmer says engagement has been a key component.
"I try to paint a very simple picture of what the future can look like, and, through painting that picture, hope that my passion and commitment to the outcome comes through so that other people can feel the excitement I do," he said while accepting the 2015 Rabobank Leadership Award.
He acknowledged the importance of leadership in creating change and conceded this path could be challenging.
"To set up a global cooperative and to get all the stakeholders – 10,500 farmers – onside and heading in the same direction is easier said than done," he says.
He was also particularly proud of Trading Among Farmers, separating out governance and representation, and the Global Dairy Trade.
The Rabobank award adds to a long list of awards for him.
Van der Heyden is one of a dairying dynasty: "milk runs through my family's veins," he said. His parents moved to New Zealand from the Netherlands in 1955 to become dairy farmers, with an eye on future generations. Five of his six siblings are involved in the dairy industry, as are three of his four children.
Van der Heyden, his wife Lady Jocelyn and their family continue to run their own four dairy farms in the central North Island.
Presenting the peer-nominated and judged award, Rabobank Australia & New Zealand managing director Thos Gieskes said van der Heyden's impact on, and contribution to, NZ dairy has been "so significant and profound it is impossible to imagine the modern dairy industry without him".
Van der Heyden was chairman of Fonterra from 2002 to 2012. Since retiring from Fonterra's board, he has been helping improve the social and commercial fortunes of a large Maori iwi. He is chair of Tainui Group Holdings.
He also chairs Auckland International Airport and Manuka SA, and is a director of Foodstuffs North Island, Pascaro Investments, Rabobank NZ and Rabobank Australia.
No bias
Rabobank's Thos Gieskes conceded that in getting the award van der Heyden had overcome the "not insignificant obstacle" of his Rabobank board membership: all the independent judges in the peer-voted award were unanimous in selecting him.
"We consider ourselves fortunate to have Henry on the boards of Rabobank Australia and Rabobank NZ, but his win tonight came despite this," Gieskes told the audience.
"In the end it proved, in all fairness, impossible for the judges to ignore how deserving Henry van der Heyden is of this award."
The award is presented annually to individuals who create sustainable growth and prosperity at corporate and industry levels in agribusiness, while showing a wider commitment to society.
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