Craig Greenlees is pleased with the direction Zespri is headed, as he prepares to step down from the group’s board this week.
The industry veteran will not to run for re-election as a grower-director at Zespri’s annual general meeting on Wednesday (23 July), ending a 16-year association with the single-desk marketer.
Greenlees has served on the Zespri board since it was incorporated in 2000, which included a term as chairman between 2002 and 2008.
“I’ve done my time,” Greenlees told Asiafruit. “I will now have a bit more energy to focus on my own business as well as enjoying my own spare time. The current state of the Zespri board is the strongest it has every been, which made my decision to step away all the more easy.”
Greenlees is a director of post-harvest and kiwifruit management company Direct Management Services (DMS). His business partner Paul Jones is standing for the vacant grower-director position on the Zespri board. Former Zespri chairman and organic grower Doug Voss is also believed to be contesting for the position.
Earlier this year, DMS announced it was entering a joint venture with EastPack, OPAC and Trevelyan’s to send green kiwifruit to the Australian market under the NutriKiwi brand. Greenlees was pleased with how the initial season was unfolding for NutriKiwi.
“We have had a strong start, with high levels of demand coming much earlier than we had anticipated,” Greenlees explained. “It has meant we have been able to secure strong prices from the season’s outset. We will continue putting more time into developing the business but the early outlook is very positive.”
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