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Toni Brendish.
Westland Dairy Company chief executive Toni Brendish will step down on Friday.
She will be replaced by Shiqing Jian, resident director for Westland and Oceania Dairy.
Her decision comes a year after Westland was acquired by Chinese company, Yili.
Westland says Brendish’s decision is the result of her reflecting on her personal goals for the next five years.
“It has been a privilege and a delight to lead Westland over the past four years,” said Brendish.
“It has taken an enormous amount of work to move Westland towards profitability but I am confident that Westland is now in a position to achieve this. I will continue to watch Westland’s journey closely and know that Westland’s dedicated and innovative staff will continue to keep pushing Westland forward.’’
Jian said Brendish had been CEO of Westland during its most difficult years.
“Repositioning Westland away from an historical commodities producer to a modern company with hugely successful branded products such as Westgold as well as segregated milk products among other key innovations has ensured that Westland will continue to be part of the New Zealand dairy industry for the next generation,’’ said Jian.
“Yili is grateful to Toni for her stewardship of Westland over the past 12 months as we transitioned to Yili ownership. We wish Toni all the best for her future endeavours.’’
Jian said demand for Westland and Oceania’s products is continuing to rise internationally, demonstrating the value that global consumers place on New Zealand dairy goods.
“We are convinced that the future for the dairy industry in New Zealand is a very bright one indeed,’’ said Jian.
OPINION: This old mutt well remembers the wailing, whining and gnashing of teeth by former West Coast MP and Labour Agriculture Minister Damian O’Connor when Chineseowned Yili took over the troubled dairy company Westland Milk a few years back.
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