EastPack Chairman Ray Sharp today announced the appointment of Hamish Simson as its new chief executive officer.
Mr Sharp said that the Board of EastPack was delighted to advise its growers and staff of the appointment of Hamish Simson who will join the company in early May.
"Hamish is an experienced executive who has been heavily involved in the transformation of the competitiveness of AFFCO over the last few years. In this role he has overseen the development of a new site, site rebuilds and process efficiency gains. The skills that he has demonstrated will be important to EastPack as we support our growers in their recovery from Psa," Mr Sharp said.
"The kiwifruit industry faces significant challenges in responding to orchard productivity gains in the traditional Hayward variety and likely large production increases from the G3 cultivar and from other possible cultivars that are under development by ZESPRI. Our multi-site business is expected to become more complex and the international competitive environment is likely to require efficiency gains to protect and grow the incomes of our growers."
"The board believes that the incoming EastPack CEO clearly meets our criteria for an experienced leader with a strong strategic and commercial background. Hamish has big shoes to fill after the outstanding contribution of long-standing former CEO Tony Hawken," Mr Sharp said.