Chief Executive Officer
Miles Hurrell was appointed as Chief Executive Officer in 2019. Prior to this, he held the role of Chief Operating Officer, Farm Source, with responsibility for farmer services and engagement, milk sourcing and the operation of New Zealand’s 70 Farm Source™ retail stores. Before this, Miles also held a number of leadership roles across our Co-op, including Group Co-operative Affairs Director and General Manager Middle East, Africa, Russia and Eastern Europe where he led a period of sustained growth across the region. Earlier in his career, Miles worked as the General Manager of Global Sourcing and oversaw the streamlining of our Co-operative’s European operations.
Miles has completed management programmes at INSEAD (International Executive Development), London Business School (Finance), Kellogg’s NorthWestern University (Global Sales) and the International Institute for Management Development (Marketing).
Chief Financial Officer
Marc Rivers joined Fonterra in February 2018 as the Chief Financial Officer, responsible for the Co-operative’s finances. Marc’s responsibilities extend to the centralised management of Fonterra’s physical and financial portfolios, as well as mergers and acquisitions.
Marc is an experienced global finance executive. Prior to joining Fonterra, Marc was the CFO at Roche Pharmaceuticals Division in Switzerland. Marc has worked in both emerging and established markets, including China, Japan, Southeast Asia, Europe and the US. During this time, he has led teams through significant change and provided strategic leadership. Marc is known for his commitment to leading and developing his people while building diverse and inclusive teams.
He has a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies and an International Master of Business Administration, Finance and German from the University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA.
Managing Director, People and Culture
Kate was appointed as Managing Director People and Culture in August 2021.
She has oversight of the teams responsible for facilitating Fonterra’s people strategy including People Experience, Rewards and Mobility and Executive Talent.
Kate first joined Fonterra in December 2020, making significant contribution to the Co-operative as Director of HR for COO, where she held responsibility for leading the HR function for Fonterra across NZ Manufacturing, Technical Excellence, Global Supply Chain, Global Sustainability, Global Quality & Safety, Category Strategy & Innovation and Information Technology.
Prior to joining Fonterra, Kate had extensive experience in Human Resources and Communications leadership, having held senior roles across these portfolios since 2001. Kate previously led a strong organisational culture as the Chief People Officer at Bank of New Zealand. She also was appointed as the Chief People and Communications Officer with Fletcher Building Ltd. Kate was awarded the HRINZ HR person of the year in 2018 in recognition for her contribution to Fletcher Building.
Kate has a Bachelor of Commerce in Economics and International Finance and a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacology, both from the University of Auckland.
Chief Operating Officer
Fraser Whineray joined Fonterra in March 2020 as the Chief Operating Officer.
He is responsible for our New Zealand manufacturing site and global supply chain operations, sustainability, innovation and R&D, IT and safety, quality and regulatory teams.
Fraser joined our Co-op from Mercury, a 100% renewable electricity retailer and generator, where he was the Chief Executive from 2014 and held executive roles since joining the company in 2008.
Fraser is no stranger to the dairy industry. He started his career as a graduate of the New Zealand Dairy Board’s technical training programme and spent time at manufacturing sites that are now part of our Co-op, and also in Fonterra’s export markets. He has also worked in the investment banking and forestry industries, both in New Zealand and internationally.
Fraser is a keen advocate for astute long[1]term decisions that leverage New Zealand’s competitive advantages, including its people, for sustainable growth.
He served as a Non-Executive Director of Opus International Consultants from 2008 – 2016 and of Tilt Renewables and Chaired the Prime Minister’s Business Advisory Council. In 2019 he was named the Deloitte Top 200 Chief Executive of the year.
Fraser holds an MBA from the University of Cambridge, a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering from Canterbury University and a Diploma in Dairy Science and Technology from Massey University.
Managing Director, Co-operative Affairs
Mike Cronin oversees Co-operative Affairs which includes Governance, Risk and Audit, Farm Source, Global Stakeholder Affairs, Communications, Legal, Inclusion and Māori Strategy.
Mike joined Fonterra in 2002 and has been a member of teams that have contributed to some of Fonterra’s key initiatives, including Trading Among Farmers, the Governance and Representation Review, the Fonterra Purpose and The Co-operative Difference.
Prior to 2014 when he joined the Fonterra Management Team, Mike was the General Manager of Strategy Deployment and then Group Director Governance and Legal.
Mike has a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Arts from the University of Auckland.
Chief Executive Officer, Asia Pacific (APAC)
Judith Swales leads Fonterra’s business in Asia Pacific where she is responsible for all sales and marketing of Fonterra’s Consumer, Foodservice and Ingredients products in the region.
Judith and her team also set the global strategy for the Consumer, Foodservice and paediatric businesses.
Prior to this she was Fonterra’s COO Global Consumer and Foodservice having earlier led the Innovation and Transformation business unit, shaping the future of Fonterra by harnessing innovation, emerging technologies and game changing business models, while embedding a performance driven culture. Judith joined our Co-operative in 2013 as Managing Director Australia and Fonterra Oceania, where she led the successful turnaround of the Australian business and oversaw Fonterra Brands New Zealand.
The daughter of a milkman, Judith grew up helping her father on his daily milk run. She has extensive experience in senior management and business turnarounds, and prior to joining Fonterra was the Managing Director of Heinz Australia, and CEO and Managing Director of Goodyear Dunlop, Australia and New Zealand. Judith worked for a number of UK retailers which culminated in her move to Australia in 2001 as the Managing Director of Angus and Robertson.
She served as a Non-Executive Director on the DuluxGroup Board from April 2011 to August 2019 and a Non-Executive Director on the Virgin Australia Board from May 2019 to August 2020.
Judith has a degree in Microbiology and Virology.
Chief Executive Officer, AMENA
Africa, Middle East, Europe, North Asia and the Americas
Kelvin Wickham is responsible for the business activities of Fonterra across Consumer, Foodservice and Ingredients products in Africa, Middle East, Europe, North Asia and the Americas.
In addition, Kelvin oversees the Active Living FNU (Functional Nutrition Unit), and with his team is responsible for development of Fonterra’s NZMP™ brand and sales capability.
In his previous role as COO NZMP™ Kelvin led the delivery of solutions to our global customers, ensuring optimisation of supply and demand, commodity price risk management, and championing the NZMP™ brand. Kelvin has more than 30 years’ experience in the dairy industry and has played a key role in building markets, customer relationships and partnerships. In his earlier role as President Greater China and India he focused on directing the development of Fonterra’s business in these expanding markets, during which he oversaw a period of rapid growth.
Prior to that, Kelvin led Fonterra’s Supplier and External Relations team, and was Managing Director of Fonterra’s Global Trade overseeing the launch of Global Dairy Trade.
Kelvin holds a Chemical and Materials Engineering Degree, a Master of Management and a Diploma of Dairy Science and Technology.
Chief Executive Officer, Greater China
Teh-han Chow was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer, Fonterra Greater China in August 2020, after acting in the interim role from December 2019.
In this role, he is responsible for overseeing our Co-op’s overall business in the Greater China region, including Ingredients, Foodservice, Consumer Brands and China Farms business.
Teh-han has extensive experience leading large organisations in the food sector, as well as proven ability in business growth through innovation and putting customers front and centre.
Previously, he was President of NZMP for Greater China, South & East Asia, where he embedded sustained improvements in business performance, strong customer relationships and empowering leadership across 23 markets in Fonterra’s ingredients business.
Before joining Fonterra in 2015, Teh-han was the CEO of Louis Dreyfus in China, a leading global merchant and processor of agricultural goods and other commodities. He was also Managing Director Greater China for Simplot, a food and agribusiness company and served as a Director of COFCO Agriculture Industry Investment Fund from 2012 – 2015.
Teh-han has a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing from California State University Northridge and a Master’s degree, with honours, in International Management from Thunderbird Graduate School of International Management.