Oppy toasts the careers of Steve Woodyear-Smith and Cathie MacDonald
Oppy is celebrating the careers of Steve Woodyear-Smith and Cathie MacDonald.
Tropicals Category Vice President Steve Woodyear-Smith and Creative Services Director Cathie MacDonald are retiring at the end of June, according to a news release.
“Steve and Cathie have both made momentous contributions to our business over their storied careers — as leaders, innovators and cultural role models,” Oppy President David Smith said in the release. “They have more than 50 years of tenure between them, all of which were spent breaking ground in their respective areas of expertise, while supporting their peers and influencing life at Oppy with distinctive style.”
MacDonald was first affiliated with the company in 1991, then working for ENZA, a partner in the Seattle-based New Zealand Fruit Company that was later absorbed by Oppy, then known as The Oppenheimer Group.
MacDonald held positions including trade relations manager, creative services manager and, most recently, director of creative services. MacDonald refined Oppy’s in-house marketing team to include graphic design, packaging development, insights, branding and integrated marketing disciplines, according to the release.
“Cathie made her mark at Oppy through her immense tenacity, and the spirit of fun which can be seen in the brands she helped create, promotions she conceptualized and her heartfelt delivery on our expect the world from us promise,” James Milne, senior vice president of marketing and categories, said in the release. “Cathie was my first friend when I joined Oppy in 1994, and ours is the kind of friendship between colleagues that’s fueled by creative energy and the joy of collaborating on meaningful projects. I’m grateful to have had the chance to work closely with Cathie throughout these many years.”
Milne credited MacDonald’s leadership of Oppy’s packaging development processes from their inception and her spirited yet commercially pragmatic approach to brand development as key contributions.
Responsibility for the company’s marketing strategy and its execution sits with Executive Director of Marketing Karin Gardner, who reports to Milne, the release said.
Woodyear-Smith leaves the reins of Oppy’s tropicals category in the hands of Fernando Caudillo, who has served as the category’s director for several years, the release said. Caudillo is succeeded by Eric Ziegenfuss, who has managed Oppy’s kiwifruit business on the U.S. East Coast for the last half-decade.
Woodyear-Smith joined Oppy in 2000, following management positions with Zespri International in New Zealand and Asia, to run its kiwifruit category.
Woodyear-Smith built Oppy’s kiwifruit category to include ever-increasing volumes of Northern Hemisphere-grown fruit, to better serve a customer base hungry for high quality green, gold and now red kiwifruit year-round, the release said.
Along the way, Woodyear-Smith earned the respect and admiration of colleagues throughout the world for his collaborative leadership style, grace under pressure and steadfast integrity, Smith said.
“If there was a ‘Kiwifruit Hall of Fame,’ Steve would hold a place of honor,” Smith said. “Nobody in the industry knows it better. And because he’s shared his knowledge with the amazing team following in his footsteps, we’re well-positioned for the future, as we wish Steve all the best in his retirement.”
