World’s biggest dairy cooperative Fonterra of New Zealand has opted for a new CEO from this September. The shifting of power has been a smooth process with little noise coming from any quarters.
Compare this with Indian situation and you get shock of your life. Our dairy major Amul wanted to change its CEO Mr B M Vyas and the entire board of GCMMF was split amidst varying loyalties.
The situation became so tough that at one point it looked as if the Chairman of GCMMF Mr Parthi Bhatol himself may have to go.
Readers may be aware that Fonterra is also a cooperative with an impact unparalleled by any organization in its field of operation. News from New Zealand says Theo Spierings will head Fonterra in September when Andrew Ferrier steps down.
Unlike R S Sodhi who could finally took over as the new Managing Director in Amul case, Fonterra Cooperative Group’s new chief executive Theo Spierings has been welcomed by the NZ Cooperatives Association.
It is not that there is no tension in Fonterra cooperative as the association’s Chris Knowles said. “I am very happy the appointment is a long-term cooperator who will clearly understand the tensions of farmer ownership and member funding.”
Former CEO Canadian Andrew Ferrier will leave on a high note with record results for the 2011 year.
“Mr Spierings has a wealth of experience in managing dairy businesses across Asia, Latin America, Africa, the Middle East and Europe,” van der Heyden said in a statement. He also had experience in a variety of general management, operations and supply chain and sales and marketing positions across a number of geographies, van der Heyden said.
Spierings, 46, is married with three children and currently lives in the Netherlands, where he owns an advisory firm focusing on corporate strategy, mergers and acquisitions in the consumer goods sector, the statement says. His qualifications include an MBA.