What Would Synlait Be Worth to Fonterra or a2 Milk?
Speculation of a possible joint move by Fonterra and a2 Milk to buy Synlait raises a much bigger strategic question, says agribusiness expert Dr Nic Lees.
The Hound’s mate reckons it would be one of the toughest roles round, given that 1000 or so co-op employees are in for the chop as part of Fonterra’s current restruc- ture. The job ad euphemistically says, “Fonterra is going through a period of significant change and you will be responsible for imple- menting employee communi- cations strategies across the co-op...”. In other words, the job is to tell the lucky 1000 or so people nominated by the dairy giant’s big cheeses – in the nicest possible way – that they are in for the big DCM (don’t come Monday). Good luck with that!
