Paul Jones has been elected to the Zespri board as a grower-director. The appointment was announced at the single-desk marketer’s annual general meeting last week.
Former Zespri chairman and organic grower Doug Voss stood against Jones for the director’s position, vacated by industry veteran Craig Greenlees.“I'm very humbled by the level of grower support and I’ll be doing my best to make a worthwhile contribution to the board,” Jones said after being appointed.
Jones and Greenlees are the founders and owner of Direct Management Services, a kiwifruit orchard management and post-harvest operation, based in the Bay of Plenty. Jones has been a member of New Zealand Kiwifruit Growers Incorporated’s Forum since it was formed in 1995, having served on numerous work groups and committees with the representative body.
Zespri grower shareholders also re-elected Nathan Flowerday to the board of directors at the AGM, after Hillary Brick contested his position.Board member David Pilkington and director remuneration committee member John Griffin both retired by rotation. Both sought re-election and were re-elected uncontested.
Zespri chairman Peter McBride welcomed Jones’ appointment, along with the subsequent re-appointments, suggesting the board was in state of transition.
“Tony Marks will retire from the board over the course of the next year,” McBride explained in his address at the AGM. “With Craig (Greenlees) and Tony’s pending retirements, half of the Zespri board will have been renewed over the past three years. While renewal is healthy, there is also a need to balance fresh thinking with a deep knowledge of Zespri’s business. I will constantly seek to strike this balance to ensure that the board has the right mix to best serve the interests of growers and shareholder.”
