Zespri appoints new chief executive from within company

New Zespri CEO Jason Te Brake.

Kiwifruit marketer Zespri has appointed insider Jason Te Brake as its new chief executive after what its board says was an extensive international search.

Te Brake is the grower-owned company’s chief operating officer, who joined Zespri in 2020 and has held several roles with the global fruit marketer.

As chief operating officer since April last year, he led the industry’s response to the recent fruit quality issues which threatened sales and the brand’s good name offshore.

The quality problems were a result of a cocktail of pressures in the industry, including severe weather events and a chronic post-Covid labour shortage.

The chief operating officer at Zespri is responsible for managing the company’s end-to-end supply chain, from growers to global markets.

Before joining Bay of Plenty-based Zespri - New Zealand’s top horticultural exporter - Te Brake held commercial, sales, marketing and financial accounting and advisory roles at KPMG, the Affco and Anzco meat companies and Miraka Milk.

Zespri posted global operating revenue of $4.2 billion in the 2023 financial year, supplying 164.2 million trays of fruit to more than 50 markets.

Chairman Nathan Flowerday said Te Brake had the strong commercial and stakeholder management experience the board was looking for.

“He has a clear strategic vision to help Zespri and the industry achieve its immense potential and the operational experience to ensure we do so.”

Te Brake said his focus would be on leading the Zespri team to capture “significant” demand opportunities in the global market, and strengthening the supply chain and operation performance to maximise market value and returns to growers.

Te Brake succeeds outgoing CEO Dan Mathieson, who has led the company for seven years and joined it 21 years ago.

He exits Zespri on July 1.

Mathieson is heading for California and a top post at the US berry marketer Driscoll’s.

Colin Bond, chief executive of NZKGI, the organisation which represents the interests of the country’s kiwifruit growers, said: “We expect the Zespri board to have run a thorough process and we are looking forward to working with Jason, who has experience in dealing with the challenges of our industry.”

Zespri, entitled under regulation to export all New Zealand kiwifruit, except to Australia, works with 2800 growers in this country and 1500 orchardists offshore.

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.