South Africa’s Fresh Produce Exporters’ Forum (FPEF) has moved outside the fruit sector to find a new chief executive to replace Stuart Symington, appointing Anton Kruger, CEO of the South African Ostrich Business Chamber, to lead the organisation as it gears up to meet future challenges.
Speaking from Oudtshoorn in the Southern Cape, Kruger says he will take up his new position on 1 March. His predecessor Symington has left the FPEF in order to take over as chief executive of the Perishable Products Export Control Board (PPECB).
Kruger acknowledged that the FPEF has built a strong basis during the past 10 years and said he was looking forward to building on this success during his term. “I believe our priorities remain the fields of ethical trade and the generic promotion of South African fruit internationally in order to continue to build the country’s share of the world market.
“We will have to innovate and form partnerships with other sectors in order to further build the presences of South African fruit internationally,' he added. 'The challenge is obviously also to persuade the South African government that it should increase its support for the fruit sector.”
During the past eight years at the South African Ostrich Business Chamber, Kruger played a key role in the promotion of South African ostrich meat, opening the Russian market for South African ostrich meat, among others. He previously served in a senior management position at South African insurance giant Sanlam after stints at the North West University in Potchefstroom and as head of news at the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation before that country gained independence.
