Our people

• ZGL / ZIL Chairman since March 2024
• ZGL / ZIL Director since July 2012
• Zespri Board appointed Director on Kiwifruit Breeding Centre (KBC)

Nathan Flowerday came from a farming and kiwifruit orchard background.  After graduating from Massey University, Nathan spent several years as a Rural Bank Manager in the Bay of Plenty before joining Investment Managers (London) as Business Analyst and Management Accountant, before returning to New Zealand in 2006.

Nathan became involved in the kiwifruit industry in 1997, when his family moved over from the Waikato and purchased their first kiwifruit orchard. Now, Nathan is involved in all aspects of kiwifruit growing, owning several orchards and an Orchard Management and Orchard Contracting Business. He is passionate about the Kiwifruit industry, as well as ensuring Zespri continues to deliver premium kiwifruit to the world, resulting in strong returns back to Zespri growers and shareholders.

Nathan is the founding Director of the Kiwifruit Breeding Centre, and has been involved in the Kiwifruit Breeding Programme for the last decade. Nathan is passionate about ensuring we continue to invest in Innovation to keep Zespri as the world leader in Kiwifruit.  Nathan is a member of the NZ China Business Council and New Zealand International Business Forum.

• ZGL / ZIL Grower Director since July 2014
• Zespri Deputy Chair since February 2019
• Chair of the People and Culture Committee
• Member of Industry Advisory Council
• Member of the Board Innovation Sub Committee

Paul Jones is a long term Kiwifruit grower and investor. He is a Founding Partner and Director of Direct Management Services (DMS), a post-harvest and orchard management company in the Bay of Plenty.

Paul has served on a number of industry entities and, prior to his appointment as Director, was a member of the KGI Forum, and a Director of Kiwifruit Vine Health (KVH). He grows all Zespri commercial varieties and is actively involved in orchard management. 

• ZGL / ZIL Director since June 2021
• Chair of the Global Sustainability Advisory Board
• Member of the People and Culture Committee
• Member of the Board Innovation Subcommittee 

Alison has significant governance experience, sitting on the boards of Spark, GWA Group, Heilala Vanilla and Rockit Global and she also Chairs the Boards of Tom and Luke and Babich Wines.  Alison has more than 30 years’ experience working in major international FMCG companies in both sales and marketing and is the former CEO of Goodman Fielder and Griffins Foods.

• ZGL / ZIL Independent Director since May 2013
• Chair of the Audit and Risk Management Committee 
• Member of the People and Culture Committee

Mr. Mason has more than 30 years’ experience in the financial sector, with an emphasis on emerging markets. After joining Zespri’s board in May 2013, Jonathan stepped down as Fonterra Co-operative Group’s Chief Financial Officer.

He joined Fonterra in 2009 from US-based chemicals company Cabot Corporation where he was Executive Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer. Prior to this he was employed as the Chief Financial Officer at forest products company Carter Holt Harvey and also served in senior financial management positions at US based International Paper and Exxon Mobil.

Mr. Mason has had governance experience for organisations in both New Zealand and the US. His directorships include Vector Limited, Westpac NZ, and Air New Zealand. Mr. Mason is also an Honorary Adjunct Professor of Accounting and Finance at the University of Auckland. 

• ZGL / ZIL Independent Director since July 2018
• Chair of the Industry Advisory Council
• Member of the Audit and Risk Management Committee
• Member of the People and Culture Committee

Tony Hawken has had a long involvement in the kiwifruit industry. Until 2015 he was CEO of New Zealand’s largest Post Harvest operator, East Pack. East Pack is a grower-owned cooperative with around 750 shareholders. 

During his time as CEO, Tony was involved with most of the kiwifruit industry forums. Tony is a member of the Advisory Board of Directors AS Wilcox, and Intent Group Ltd. He is also Independent Chairman of Rakete Apples Partnership, Korokipo Apples Partnership, and Tapawera Hops Partnership. He is also development manager for Trinity Lands Ltd.  

Tony and his family also have interests in Dairying, being a Director of Hawken Farms Ltd, and in conjunction with others is developing a new SunGold orchard. 

• ZGL / ZIL Director since August 2010
  
• Zespri Chairman February 2019 - February 2024

Bruce Cameron is a long time kiwifruit grower. He also has a background in pastoral and arable farming, previously was the Managing Director of the Cameron Group of Companies whose interests were in the Quarry and Transport Industries up to 2007 when it was sold to Fletcher Concrete and Infrastructure Ltd. Bruce has interests around property, dairy, beef, sheep and kiwifruit farming.

Bruce is Chair of the Cameron Group of Companies that comprise of Kiwifruit, Dairy, Forestry, Property and Quarry Holdings. He is also Chair of Realty Services Holdings Ltd and Alpha Medical Ltd.

• ZGL / ZIL Director since June 2019
• Chair of the Global Supply Advisory Board  
• Member of the Board Innovation Sub-committee 
• Zespri Board appointed Director of Kiwifruit Vine Health (KVH) 

Craig Thompson has been in the kiwifruit industry for over 30 years and has orchard ownership both directly and via company shareholding in Gisborne, Ōpōtiki, Te Puke and Latina, Italy. He is a former Managing Director (MD) and was a Director of OPAC until the merger with Seeka in May 2021. 

Craig worked for Zespri from 2015 to 2019 as the European Supply Manager for ZGS Europe based in Italy. In his former OPAC MD role Craig was involved in various industry groups. He grows Zespri Green, Zespri SunGold Zespri RubyRed Kiwifruit and is actively involved in orchard management via his business Thompsons Horticulture Ltd. 

He is also involved with DCD Orchards Ltd and Kaiaponi Farms Ltd in Gisborne and he is a Director and Chairman company shareholding on both companies. He also has shares in three other kiwifruit orchard companies. 

• Chancellor of Massey University
• Chair of Spring Sheep Milk Co  
• Chair of New Zealand Plant Market Access Council (PMAC)

Passionate about his country, Michael Ahie (Taranaki, Ngā Ruahine, Ngāti Ruanui) is dedicated to the commercial and cultural success of organisation in New Zealand. 

Michael speaks regularly at industry groups and forums on leadership and the food & fibre sector. He draws on his experience growing up in a farming community in Coastal South Taranaki and his previous roles with Toyota New Zealand Ltd, the New Zealand Dairy Board and Wrightson Ltd. Michael continues to coach and mentor chief executives and their leadership teams and is a certified Leadership Circle® coach. 

Michael completed the Executive Development Programme at The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania and is a regular attendee of the Te Hono programme at Stanford University. He received his honours degree from Massey University. 

Daniel Mathieson was appointed Chief Executive of Zespri in September 2017. He brings to the role a strong track record built over a 17-year career with Zespri, including his most recent role as President of Global Sales and Marketing. In leading Zespri’s sales and marketing operations and offshore markets, Dan delivered a demand-led strategy, growing mature markets and diversifying into new ones. Dan also led the development of the sales and marketing function, with an increased focus on consumer insight, distributor and retailer relationships, and marketing excellence.

As Chief Executive, Dan is based between the head office in New Zealand and Zespri’s global sales and marketing hub in Singapore. His focus in leading Zespri continues to be on developing outstanding people and teams who are committed to delivering sustainable value for growers, consumers and all stakeholders that support healthy growth of Zespri’s ecosystem.

Dan is a Board Member of the International Fresh Produce Association and prior to Zespri worked in Tokyo for Omron and NEC in corporate communications, marketing and project management roles. He grew up on the North Shore in Auckland and studied Japanese, Communications and International Business at the Auckland University of Technology and Waseda University in Tokyo. Dan has also completed an Executive MBA from the National University of Singapore.

Jason was appointed Chief Operating Officer in April 2023 and is responsible for managing Zespri’s end-to-end supply chain, from growers to markets globally. 

He first joined Zespri in 2020 and has held a number of roles, including Acting Chief Global Supply Officer and Head of New Zealand Supply Chain.

Jason has extensive supply chain experience and commercial agribusiness knowledge. Prior to joining Zespri he held roles at KPMG, AFFCO, ANZCO and Miraka.

Jason is passionate about supporting growers and the industry to manage Zespri’s end-to-end supply chain in a strongly integrated manner to help efforts to maximise the industry’s long-term value.

Richard joined Zespri in March 2019 as Chief Financial Officer, responsible for Finance, Corporate Performance, Compliance and Legal Services.

Prior to joining Zespri Richard was CFO at Ballance Agri-Nutrients, he joined the business in 2011 before becoming CFO in 2013.

Richard has a Degree in Chemistry from Warwick University and a MBA from Leeds University.

Jiunn Shih has been with Zespri since September 2016. In his role as Chief Marketing, Innovation & Sustainability Officer he is responsible for leading Zespri’s marketing, innovation R&D, sustainability, and corporate strategy functions.

Before this, he was Zespri’s Chief Marketing Officer, directing Zespri's Global Brand strategy, development of marketing communication, and deployment across all marketing channels.

Prior to joining Zespri, Jiunn built a solid sales and marketing track record in senior roles at Unilever and L’Oréal across Latin America, Asia, and Europe.

Edith joined Zespri as Chief People Officer in September 2019. Edith brings a passion for organisations being more successful through a people-centered approach, leading best practice, cultural excellence and capacity development – attributes that relate strongly to what we value around people and performance. 

Edith has over 25 years’ experience in both strategic and operational Human Resources roles, building organisation capability and culture, leadership and talent development, employee engagement, change leadership and performance. Her human resource leadership roles span manufacturing, primary industry, health and financial services, including global companies such as Cadbury, Kraft Foods and SCA. Edith is of Ngati Pikiao and Ngati Makino descent and holds a Bachelor of Business Studies from Massey University. 

Dave joined Zespri in October 2019 and leads our Digital Services team which is at the heart of our goal of creating a digital business – delivering a personalised service for our growers and customers, real-time data to drive decision making, and more simplified business processes. 

Dave was previously Chief Digital Officer at Ballance Agri-Nutrients and prior to that Chief Information Officer at LIC. He has held a number of senior digital roles in a number of organisations throughout his career including Rio Tinto and Fonterra. 

Dave is a firm believer that any sort of digital change or transformation is not about the technology. It is about enabling business strategy and solving business problems. 

Ichiro Anzai joined Zespri Japan in September 2014 as a Country Manager. His responsibility was expanded to Korea as GM, Japan/Korea and then he took on the role of looking after the APAC region in October 2019. 

Before joining Zespri, Ichiro held senior sales and marketing positions across a number of top level FMCG organisations including Bristol Myers, Bausch & Lomb, Unilever and McDonald’s. 

Ichiro holds an MBA from Thunderbird Graduate School of International Management in Arizona. 

Steven joined Zespri in September 2023, as the President for Europe-North America. He is an inspiring leader who brings expectational knowledge and experience in the fresh fruit business to Zespri. Steven holds an Executive MBA from Erasmus University in Rotterdam, adding an academic foundation to his extensive professional experience. 

Prior to joining Zespri, Steven served as the CEO of The Greenery, a significant international fruit and vegetable company based in the Netherlands which distributes products in over 50 markets. During his tenure at The Greenery, Steven developed a proven track record in various domains, including commercial and strategic management, business development, marketing, innovation, and digitisation across value chains. 

Michael joined Zespri in January 2019 and is responsible for driving business in mainland China, Hong Kond and Taiwan. He is based in Shanghai. 

Michael has more than 20 years of marketing and sales experience and enjoys an outstanding reputation in the field of fast-moving consumer goods. He has served at Fortune Global 500 consumer brand companies such as Johnson & Johnson, Danone and Mondelēz. Michael is an expert in new channel development, marketing and integrated management. His knowledge of the China market and diverse range of channels completements his extensive industry experience and excellent leadership skills. 

Michael holds a bachelor’s degree in international trade from Guangdong University of Foreign Studies and an MBA from Shanghai Jiatong University.  

Nick was appointed Executive Officer Northern Hemisphere Supply in March 2021. Nick joined Zespri in 2014 in the role of External Relations Manager, based in the New Zealand office. In 2018 he was appointed to the role of Programme Director – China Supply, based in Shanghai, where he was responsible for overseeing supply chain trials in China. In 2019 he was appointed to the role of Asia Regional Manager – International Production, managing supply operations in Korea and Japan. 

Prior to Zespri, Nick worked for the New Zealand Government, where he was involved in the negotiation of international trade agreements and advised government Ministers in the portfolios of Economic Development and Primary Industries. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree, majoring in Economics.   

Rachel joined Zespri in October 2018 to establish and lead the global sustainability function. Tasked with pan-industry leadership, this includes setting strategy, establishing enduring work programmes and building the capability of the business and industry to achieve an ambitious set of targets in areas of nutrition, packaging, water, climate change and workforce. 

Rachel is focused on how to create the conditions for long-term change both within the industry and beyond, sharing her sustainability expertise and enabling others to gain confidence to step up and lead. 

She is a seasoned sustainability professional, with experience in senior business, industry and government roles in New Zealand and most recently in Europe over the past fifteen years. 

Tim was appointed Executive Officer Strategy in April 2022. Tim joined Zespri in September 2021 in the role of Global Head of Strategy based in the New Zealand office. Tim has a passion for shaping companies of the future success. He brings significant experience having advised companies across multiple industries on large scale projects and leading executive teams through strategic growth agendas that have helped to deliver sustainable value. 

He has over 25 years’ experience in M&A, corporate finance and consulting in investment banking and Big 4 professional services firms in the UK and NZ and has served as a director of a number of companies in NZ, UK, US and China. Prior to Zespri, Tim spent 8 years in the international fresh produce industry with T&G Global. He was T&G Global Chief Strategy Officer for over six years responsible for strategy and project management of transformational change projects. In 2020, he led T&G’s acquistion and integration of T&G’s NZ business and Freshman NZ and was appointed Chief Financial Officer of the newly integrated T&G Fresh prior to joining Zespri. 

Tracy has joined Zespri in 1999 and during her time with Zespri has built experience in a range of roles that span the Finance, Commerical and also our Grower and Industry Team during that period. Tracy’s passion is working alongside our kiwifruit growing community and strengthening the industry for future growth. Tracy’s focus will be on reshaping and enhancing Zespri’s engagement with growers and the wider industry as we focus on engaging better and building a more collaborative, successful and resilient industry for growers. 

During her time with Zespri she has gained experience in a range of roles in our Grower and Industry Team and led key initiatives within the business including the transformation of our licence release programme. 

Tracy joined Zespri in April 2010 as the Chief Executive Assistant to the CEO and Board of Directors and is responsible for managing the CEO’s office. Prior to joining Zespri, she spent almost a decade working at the Bay of Plenty District Health Board supporting the GM of Planning and Funding, the Chief Medical Doctor and Director of Nursing. Tracy has more than 20 years administrative experience with the horticulture, health and hospitality industries and is an active member of AdmiNZ Association, and previously held roles as Group President for Tauranga and the Northern Regional Leader for the Association of Administrative Professionals NZ Inc.