Southern Pastures appoints Neil Senauer as CEO of Grass Fed Products

Neil Senauer. Photo / Supplied

Dairy investment fund Southern Pastures has appointed Neil Senauer as chief executive of its wholesale and food-service business NZ Grass Fed Products.

Senauer will relocate from Melbourne to Queenstown to take up the role this month.

NZ Grass Fed Products sells butter, cheese and milk and protein powders to both export markets and domestic customers.

Over the last 12 months, it has become a significant dairy commodities and foodservice products exporter, with sales of around $200 million.

Products are made from 10 Star Certified Values milk from Southern Pastures-owned farms, as well as commodity dairy ingredients sourced from its New Zealand milk processor partners.

Senauer said it was an exciting time to take on the job, especially now New Zealand had a UK trade deal.

"We see significant opportunity for our premium butter and cheese into Britain, where food businesses are increasingly concerned about the quality and provenance of their ingredients, and the impact of their production on the planet."

He has worked in the dairy and agribusiness industry for over 20 years across various senior roles in Asia, Europe, the Americas and Australia/NZ with Interfood, Westland, James Farrell, Darigold and Cargill.

He has been on the advisory board of Southern Pastures investment arm since late 2020.

Southern Pastures executive chairman Prem Maan said it had ruled out feeding PKE on moral grounds and was pursuing carbon-neutral status on its farms through soil sequestration and other climate change mitigation initiatives rather than purchasing credits.