Senior Zespri executive Simon Limmer has been appointed to the newly created position of chief operating officer (COO) with the single-desk kiwifruit marketer.
Zespri chief executive Lain Jager said Limmer’s role will focus on generating an “end-to-end” view of the supply chain.
“The new role of COO will better integrate Zespri supply as the Zespri Global Supply (ZGS) business continues to grow and new cultivars and markets are added to the business, as well as taking responsibility for relations with growers and the New Zealand government,” Jager explained. “The kiwifruit industry will experience very strong growth over the next five years and the new executive structure will support this growth.”
Limmer will transition out of his current roles as general manager of both the grower and government relations team and the China market by the end of this year. He had previously served as general manager of ZGS.
Zespri has also announced the appointment of David Hazlehurst as chief financial officer (CFO) and Blair Hamill’s as supply chain general manager.
Hazlehurst most recently served as CFO of NZ Steel, a NZ$1bn business, and will take up his new position in February. Hamill joined Zespri in 2000 and has extensive New Zealand supply chain experience. He will replace outgoing supply chain manager Sally Gardiner in December.
“I’m confident that this new executive structure and these three appointments will support the strong increase in industry growth over the next few years,” Jager said.
