Zespri has appointed Jason Te Brake as its next CEO.
Te Brake is currently Zespri’s chief operating officer and will succeed outgoing CEO Daniel Mathieson, who is leaving Zespri to join Driscoll’s, effective July 1, according to a news release.
“Jason is an outstanding executive with the strong commercial and stakeholder management experience we were looking for,” Zespri Chairman Nathan Flowerday said in the release. “He has a clear strategic vision to help Zespri and the industry achieve its immense potential and the operational expertise to ensure we do so.
“He has done an outstanding job of leading our global supply chain and the New Zealand supply business as our chief operating officer,” Flowerday continued. “He has also delivered exceptional results based off detailed planning and execution as the industry responded to the recent quality challenges and then reset to deliver a record crop this year. There is significant and growing demand for Zespri kiwifruit, which will add real value to our industry and communities. Zespri has a strong strategy in place as we pursue that, with Jason able to provide the vision and continuity as well as the knowledge of our industry to deliver on that.”
Te Brake said the opportunity to lead Zespri is an honor.
“I am hugely passionate and energized about the opportunities for the industry and it’s a real honor and privilege to be able to lead Zespri,” Te Brake said in the release. “The kiwifruit industry has an outstanding track record of success, off the back of quality people, a world-class product and strategy and a commitment to innovating and tackling challenges together. It is one of New Zealand’s great success stories, and I am incredibly fortunate to be following in the footsteps of, and working alongside, some of the industry’s outstanding leaders.
“My focus will be on leading the Zespri team to capture the significant demand opportunities in market, on strengthening our supply chain and operational performance to maximize value in market and on ensuring we return as much of that value back to growers as possible,” Te Brake continued. “I’d like to thank Nathan and the Board for the faith they have shown in me and also thank Dan Mathieson for his guidance and mentorship. Dan has been an outstanding leader for Zespri, helping turn us into a world-class sales and marketing organization which is able to deliver significant value for our growers and our communities.”
Flowerday recognized Mathieson’s contributions to Zespri.
“Dan has been a world class leader at Zespri and has led the industry through both strong growth and considerable challenges,” Flowerday said. “He’s someone who has a genuine care for people and our industry, and we wish him every success in his new role at Driscoll’s.”
