Board of Directors

Peter was appointed to the board in July 2023. He is a director of NIWA and executive chair of T&G Global Ltd’s VentureFruit business. He has governance experience in the agri-food, science and trade sectors and his management career included senior roles at T&G Global, CEO of Plant & Food Research, Managing Director of Fonterra Europe, President of Fonterra Japan and roles in China, the Philippines and Taiwan. Peter has degrees in science and economics and is a member of the Institute of Directors.

Appointed to the Board in November 2019, Jan has over 30 years’ experience in senior executive and governance roles. Her previous roles include Chief Executive and Executive Director positions with Panacea Healthcare and Tacit Group, along with multiple advisory and senior management roles within the healthcare, insurance, finance, IT and manufacturing sectors. Jan has considerable expertise in business and technology strategy, risk management, mitigation planning and corporate governance.

With over 25 years’ experience in finance and strategy roles in multinational environments, Alison was appointed to the board in 2019. Her career has spanned industries including food, pulp and paper, forestry, building and banking. Since 2002 she has worked in the food industry with Kraft Foods and Mondelez International. Most recently she was based in Singapore as Director Financial Controlling responsible for 34 countries across Asia, Middle East and Africa. Alison was previously CFO for Kraft Foods Australia and NZ. Her experience has covered finance, strategy, risk management and governance of businesses in diverse international markets. She has a BMS (Hons) from the University of Waikato and is a Chartered Accountant and chartered member of the Institute of Directors.

Dean was appointed to the Board in March 2022, having previously held various governance and senior management roles in Aotearoa’s food and seafood sectors, including Chief Executive and General Manager of subsidiaries within Aotearoa Fisheries Group - New Zealand’s largest Māori-owned fisheries company. He is a current Board member for two Crown Research Institutes, Plant & Food Research and the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA), as well as serving on the Board for Akaroa Salmon New Zealand and Port Nicolson Fisheries Ltd. Of Ngati Porou and Apanui descent, Dean is a current Director of Ngati Porou Runanga and its commercial entity Ngati Porou Holdings Ltd. He is also a Chartered Accountant and has a Bachelor of Commerce and Administration.

Ariana is of Ngāti Maniapoto descent and was appointed to the Board in July 2022. She has over 15 years’ experience working in Aotearoa’s primary industries sector establishing Māori Agribusiness partnerships while working for Beef + Lamb NZ and Ministry for Primary Industries. She is a recent independent Director for Food HQ and independent Trustee for NZ Rural Leadership Trust and currently the Director of Māori Research and Partnerships at AgResearch, leading engagement with Māori partners and development of Māori research strategy and capability. Ariana has a Masters in Science from the University of Otago which led to her joining the Imperial College in the United Kingdom, enabling research within the area of genetic modification legislation.

Belinda was appointed to the Board in July 2023, having also served as a director of State Owned Enterprise Pāmu/Landcorp for the last 5 years. She holds the position of Managing Director for the Whakahura Programme, a 5-year $10 million research programme funded by MBIE. Recently, she contributed her expertise to the Ministry for Environment’s Managed Retreat Expert Working Group and to the External Reporting Board (XRB)’s External Advisory Panel on Climate Related Disclosures. Belinda has a MBA in Finance from Columbia University of New York and a Masters in Disaster Risk from the University of Canterbury.

Scottie has both executive and governance experience across the food and beverage industry, and was appointed to the Board in July 2024. He specialised in exporting premium FMCG products overseas, with corporate experience in Asia including executive roles in Japan for Heinz Watties and Zespri. His NZ experience includes owning and developing NZ’s largest cider manufacturer, Redwood Cellars, Founding Spring Sheep Milk Co., as well as establishing a boutique investment and advisory service that he still manages. Scottie has considerable expertise in company start-up and strategic development. He is currently serving as Independent Chair for Landpro, and Director of Spring Sheep Milk Co., Good Buzz Beverages, and SLC Ventures, a private investment fund he founded.

Ken was appointed to the Board in July 2024. He is currently Chair of the Duke of Edinburgh Award New Zealand and has considerable governance experience in audit and risk, strategy and finance, having previously held governance roles for businesses in dairy genetics, agri-technology, electricity, fibre communications, agriculture and contracting sectors. Ken has particular knowledge of the agricultural sector, having been involved in the farming industry for over 30 years, with beef and dairy operations in Northland. He has a degree in agriculture and am a chartered member of the Institute of Directors.