Meat Industry Association chief executive Sirma Karapeeva has resigned.
Meat Industry Association chief executive Sirma Karapeeva has resigned.
The Meat Industry Association of New Zealand today announced that chief executive officer Sirma Karapeeva has resigned from the role.
The organisation’s independent chairman, Nathan Guy, thanked Karapeeva for her six years in the role and said she had led the organisation through times of industry challenges and growth.
Guysaid Karapeeva joined the Meat Industry Association (MIA) in 2015 as the trade and economic manager after a career in the public sector, and was appointed chief executive in 2020.
“Under Sirma’s leadership, we have seen some contrasting times, including managing our evolving Covid response through to recent periods of unprecedented growth in global returns,” Guy said.
“With her background in trade policy and negotiation, Sirma has been a steady pair of hands as we dealt with the unknown outcome of the recent American tariff announcements, the China Safeguard investigations and free trade agreements with Europe and the United Kingdom.”
Guy said Karapeeva had been a tireless contributor for the Meat Industry Association, meat companies and the wider red meat sector.
“During Sirma’s time as CEO, she provided an excellent link between government and industry, leading MIA to strengthen its wider industry partnerships.
“This proved especially beneficial as we worked together to address industry challenges and take a more aligned approach across the sector.”
Karapeeva will help with transitional matters before finishing with the MIA on March 6, 2026, and the organisation will start a recruitment process shortly.
