"When we were looking to replace Larry it was along the lines of how do we bring an individual into that business who will be quite different from Larry, but be able to take Ballance to another level," said Mr Pilkington. "Mark's ability around product innovation, around developing teams and delivering superior products to market, is what's going to take Ballance to the next step."
After graduating, Mr Wynne joined the Dairy Board as a market services officer at a time when it was beginning to develop new branded options for Asia, the Middle East and Latin America. After only two years, the board gave the then 24-year-old an opportunity to put his theories on branding and distribution to the test in the marketplace and sent him as a one-man country manager to Saudi Arabia, reporting to the regional office in Bahrain.
"I thought we could build our marketing and branded presence in the Middle East," he said. "It was exciting and scary, but we did very well, particularly in branded powdered milk."
After two-and-a-half years, he returned to Wellington as marketing manager for nutritional milk powders, focused on Latin America.
In 1990, Mr Wynne went overseas again, this time as marketing manager in Taiwan, reporting to key early mentor and marketing guru Dr Ong Poh Seng, the Singapore-based head of the NZ Dairy Board's Asian activities. Replicating a marketing strategy Dr Ong had used in Malaysia, the board launched the Fernleaf milk powder brand, following up with Anlene, a bone health product.
"At that point, Asia was really starting to achieve critical mass both financially and in terms of people and capability," said Mr Wynne.
Mr Wynne spent a year in Taiwan, then transferred to Hong Kong as regional marketing manager, looking after Hong Kong, Taiwan and China. He eventually helped establish a beachhead in southern China, but returned to New Zealand after 18 months to get married to Annette McDonald, who he first met when she became his dentist.
"What we had learned from Anlene in Asia is that if you get innovation right you can make an enormous amount of money," said Mr Wynne, who was by then helping drive innovation in New Zealand and Asia, and then transfer the technologies to Latin America and the Middle East.
Mr Wynne was the point person when Boston Consulting Group was brought in to analyse the board's overall innovation process, landing a newly created job as general manager of product development as a result.
But although he loved the role, after only a year he was sent back to Asia as Dr Ong's deputy chief executive for the region, based in Singapore.
"My background up until this point had primarily been in the branded business," said Mr Wynne. "The deputy CEO role was very much around joint ventures, ingredient sales, new market development, human resources and IT. It was quite a different focus and a massive learning curve."
After three years as deputy, he spent a further year still based in Singapore, but looking after the Middle East region, then won the role as regional chief executive when Dr Ong resigned.
The old single desk Dairy Board structure was replaced by Fonterra, established in 2001 with about 95 per cent of New Zealand's dairy farmers as shareholders.
Mr Wynne and his family spent a total of a decade in Singapore, returning to New Zealand in 2006 as managing director Fonterra brands, New Zealand and international.
"I did that for 18 months, but at that point Fonterra was going Brand guru takes
top job at Ballancethrough changes and the emphasis had swung back to the ingredients business being the core business and not the brands," said Mr Wynne. He resigned, but was then shoulder-tapped for the role of regional president South Asia for US-listed Kimberly-Clark, growing the multinational's market share with brands such as Kleenex and Huggies.
"It was a fabulous role with big brands," said Mr Wynne, who was based out of Sydney. But after five years, the company wanted him to relocate to the US and run the global Kleenex brand.
However, by that point Mark and Annette's three sons were in their teens and they decided it was time to return to New Zealand.
For the next two years, Mr Wynne was out of the corporate world, focusing on the angel investor community, joining the Auckland Ice Angels board, and investing and mentoring a number of startup ventures.
"Life was very enjoyable," he said.
Then Ballance came calling. Part of the appeal of the role with the fertiliser co-operative was the opportunity to be chief executive of a major New Zealand business.
"Plus it was grassroots New Zealand," he said. "Ballance is really helping to grow the productivity of the farmers, using science in a very clever way to minimise their costs and maximise the benefits."
David Pilkington, who chairs Port of Tauranga as well as serving on a number of boards, including Ballance and Zespri, had senior roles at the Dairy Board and Fonterra throughout much of Mr Wynne's career there.
"First and foremost he's a great leader and builder of teams of high-performing individuals," said Mr Pilkington. "He comes from a very strong marketing and consumer background, so he's very focused on the consumer, on the products and on how to deliver things that work in the market. I expect to see Mark have a strong hand in product innovation, in delivering products and services to the farmer."
Good business mentors have been key
Mark Wynne says one key difference between his previous corporate job as regional head of US-listed multinational Kimberly-Clark and his latest role as chief executive of Ballance Agri-Nutrients was that there was less public exposure, given the lack of analyst scrutiny on quarterly earnings.
"But the Ballance board still runs very tight governance control," he said. "They're not doing management's job, but they are very clear on the expectations, which are exactly exactly the same as in a listed co-operate."
Ballance director David Pilkington said Mr Wynne's knowledge of co-operatives and his agricultural links through the dairy sector would stand him in good stead.
"He'll communicate well with the farmer shareholders," said Mr Pilkington.
Mr Wynne attributed his career to a liking for adventure and risk-taking, coupled with having always had good mentors who had believed in him.
He singled out Singaporean Dr Ong Poh Seng and the late Alistair Betts, who played a leading role in developing New Zealand Asian dairy markets, and Indian Jojo Kanjarath, who pioneered the successful Sri Lankan business. Another important figure was John Parker, a former deputy chief executive of the Dairy Board, who was a key supporter.
"I was very fortunate to have those four people as my mentors," said Mr Wynne.
The transition from marketing management to more senior roles was essentially about moving from doing things yourself to getting things done by other people, he said.
"You spend an increasing amount of time focused on making sure you have the right people, that they're clear on where you're going and their role, and getting clear performance feedback."
Mr Wynne said one of the attractions of the two years he spent in angel investing before joining Ballance, had been the opportunity to mentor entrepreneurs who had fantastic ideas and technology, but lacked global business experience.
'I've done a few gigs'
Mark Wynne loves skiing and mountain biking and likes to keep fit by running.
He is also a keen music fan.
"I play guitar," he said. "I've been in a few bands and done a few gigs, but I wouldn't call myself a musician."
However, he loves to play and had formed a few corporate bands over the years, which he said had been great fun.
Mark and his wife Annette have three sons, aged 20, 17 and 15. The oldest is studying engineering at Canterbury, and the two younger sons are completing their school year in Auckland before the family completes the relocation to Tauranga.
Mark Wynne
Role - Chief executive, Ballance Agri-Nutrients (since 2014)
Born - Palmerston North
Age - 53
First job - Market services officer
Currently reading -
The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill. Defender of the Realm
by William Manchester and Paul Reid
