July 15 2013

Fonterra appoints new chief financial officer and managing director for global brands

Dairy firm, Fonterra Co-operative Group, has appointed Lukas Paravicini and Jacqueline Chow as chief financial officer and managing director for global brands and nutrition, respectively.

Paravicini takes over from Jonathan Mason who retires at the end of September 2013. The former was previously with Nestle for 22 years, serving as general manager for Nestle Professional Europe for the last two years. Paravicini also held a number of senior finance positions in different parts of the company including their Global Business Services.

Group director for mergers and acquisitions, Paul Campbell, will report to the CFO.

Chow has a 20-year career in global blue-chip multinationals before joining Fonterra from Arnott's, where she was general manager of Australia and New Zealand and led the growth of its US$1 billion business. She has held executive marketing and innovation roles in Campbell's and the Kellogg Company, and started her career as a strategy consultant in consumer products.

Chow is appointed to a newly created role on the Fonterra management team, and will lead the strengthening of the company's overall marketing, innovation and research activities.

With these recent appointments, the Fonterra management team currently comprises of Gary Romano as managing director for New Zealand Milk Products; Johan Priem as acting managing director for Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa (APMEA); Kelvin Wickham as managing director for Greater China and India; Alex Turnbull as managing director for Latin America; Chris Caldwell as managing director of people, culture and services.

Meanwhile, organisational support to Fonterra's CEO, Theo Spierings, will be provided by Maury Leyland, Todd Muller, and Kerry Underhill, who possess the roles of group director for strategy, group director for co-operative affairs, and group director for communications, respectively.

Ian Palliser, who was previously managing director for group optimisation and supply chain, is taking up a role, leading one of Fonterra's key strategic initiatives. The functions within his previous position have been incorporated into other areas of Fonterra's management team.