“Through that time he demonstrated his ability to bring talented people together, to set and execute strategy and ultimately, to deliver great outcomes for the industry.
“Dan leaves the company in a strong position to build on the industry’s success, with strong and stable management and a clear strategy the team is committed to executing well. I’m excited about the future and know we have the right people to continue to create value for our growers and partners and we know Dan will have great success in his new role.”
Mathieson said he was proud of what the New Zealand industry was achieving.
“The industry has a track record of making bold, forward-thinking decisions, which have added strong and sustainable value for growers and communities where we operate.
“I’m most proud of the people at Zespri and their commitment to delivering for our growers and partners. We’ve built a terrific culture, which can bring the best out of the best people to drive Zespri forward.”
The board of the company, owned by past and present New Zealand kiwifruit growers, would start an executive search for Mathieson’s replacement.
Zespri is the world’s biggest single marketer of kiwifruit, with a global team of 850 based in Mount Maunganui and throughout Asia, Europe and the Americas.
It is supplied by 2800 growers in New Zealand and has 1500 contracted growers abroad to provide Zespri-branded fruit year round.
In 2022-23, the company supplied 183.5 million trays of Zespri Green, SunGold and RubyRed kiwifruit to consumers in more than 50 markets. It reported global operating revenue of $4.22b.
Andrea Fox joined the Herald as a senior business journalist in 2018 and specialises in writing about the dairy industry, agribusiness, exporting and the logistics sector and supply chains.
