Rockit makes senior leadership changes

Rockit Global has announced key transitions within its global senior leadership team with the establishment of two new roles – general manager China and general manager global markets.

Mark Pay has been appointed as acting general manager China, and will hold the role until 13 December 2024.

The group explained that Pay would advance its efforts in China and the US, while ”supporting a strong start into 2025”.

Following this, Pay will step away from the company to pursue new challenges and ventures.

This has also seen regional sales manager, Steve Bunyan promoted to the newly established general manager global markets role, responsible for sales leadership of the US, Middle East North Africa (MENA) and Southeast Asia (SEA) markets.

Bunyan joined Rockit in February this year from Landmark Homes, and was at Zespri prior to this, where he spent 16 years in commercial management and business development roles with a particular focus on Asia.

Rockit Global CEO, Grant McBeath, said the appointments came at a key time for the business and would ensure it had the optimal structure to support its teams, customers and growers as it geared up for strong export volumes and continued year-round supply from New Zealand over the coming years.

“Mark has made an incredible impact at Rockit over the past eight years, building a strong network focused on customer service,” said McBeath.

”His innovative vision for selling Rockit as an FMCG product, rather than a commodity, has unlocked new opportunities and taken the brand into channels that fresh apples have never been before – such as the convenience channel.

”His influence on our team and dedication to the brand has been central to the success of the business,” he noted.

Pay’s efforts had contributed to ”significant sales growth and expansion of Rockit’s market share globally”, the group stated.

This included expanding the sales team from one (himself) in 2017, to a global team of 21 spread across eight markets in 2024.

“Mark’s huge passion for the brand and focus on the wider team has been a key part to Rockit’s ongoing success,” McBeath continued.

“We also congratulate Steve on his promotion, whose strong leadership capabilities and commercial skills will be critical in leading the USA, MENA and SEA markets for sales and marketing, while supporting the strong growth that is projected over the next five years.”

Rockit said that recruitment was currently underway for the permanent general manager China position.