Capespan has confirmed the departure of Scott Cummings as managing director of the group’s Japanese subsidiary Goldspan.
Louis Kriel, managing director of Capespan Fruit Division, told Fruitnet.com that after many years of growth at Goldspan, Mr Cummings has decided to seek new opportunities.
Chuck Olson, a well-known figure in the Japanese fresh produce sector, has been appointed as interim MD while Capespan considers the appointment of a successor for Mr Cummings.
Mr Kriel declined to speculate on the reasons for Mr Cummings’ departure, saying only that he left the company in an amicable way.
“I will be visiting the Far East region over the next two weeks and will be in a far better position to comment on Capespan’s future plans when I get to Fruit Logistica,” he told Fruitnet.com.
Mr Cummings took the helm at Goldspan back in 2001, and the company has witnessed rapid expansion over the past nine years. Goldspan’s turnover grew almost five-fold during this period, reaching around ¥11bn (US$134m), according to Mr Cummings.
Diversification – both in terms of the company’s customer and supply base - was key to this growth. On the customer side, Mr Cummings broadened the company’s focus from supplying mainly wholesale importers to include dealing as directly as possible with the majority of the top supermarkets and retail chains in Japan. “Our customer numbers grew from 10 to more than 220 over this period,” said Mr Cummings.
In terms of its supply base, Goldpsan expanded beyond handling citrus solely from South Africa to incorporate citrus programmes from North America, Mexico, Chile, New Zealand and Australia. The company has also become a major player in importing broccoli, avocados, mangoes and processed berries.
Mr Cummings told Fruitnet.com that his ultimate goal while MD was to turn Goldspan into a fully diversified produce company. “There were still many items Goldspan did not handle, such as bananas,” he said. “I also wanted to expand the business beyond the confines of Japan.”
While yet too establish his next career move, Mr Cummings said he left Goldspan to “progress his career on a broader front”.
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