Ag’s biggest threat during COVID-19 pandemic
The biggest threat to the primary sector – right now – is if COVID-19 gets into a processing plant, says Mike Petersen, former special trade envoy and Beef + Lamb chair.
Petersen has been appointed board chairman for Nui Markets, an innovative agri-food digital marketplace developer.
As New Zealand’s Special Agricultural Trade Envoy for six years, he advocated for agriculture trade and market access interests and identified opportunities for New Zealand to commercialise its agricultural expertise offshore.
“I am really excited by Nui’s potential,” he says.
“Value chains no longer place the consumer at the end of the line, but have them embedded in the centre. Connecting people is the future of business in my view, and Nui can do this easily and efficiently for businesses and in a more sustainable way.
“Technically, Nui is a very strong platform with a demonstrated track record of success. I feel a real affinity with the business and people involved. This is a business where I feel I can contribute to make a difference and I am joining at an exciting time in Nui’s growth.”
Petersen has extensive governance experience in the agribusiness sector. He is chair of Pastoral Genomics, and a director of ANZCO Foods and a number of other privately-owned companies. He was previously chairman of Beef + Lamb New Zealand.
Nui chief executive Kevin O’Sullivan says that Petersen’s appointment signals a significant shift for Nui as it cements itself as the e-marketplace of choice for agri-food and ingredient business that is fit for a modern world.
“In the past year we have grown to now being the largest e-platform for dairy in Europe, with some of the world’s largest agri-food businesses such as Arla Foods and Valio using our platform to transform their sales process, and scale and enter new markets,” says O’Sullivan.
“The agri-food sector is still relatively traditional in its trading and sales approach, but increasingly we are seeing a real appetite for digital tools such as ours that enable efficiency and scale.
“I am excited about the governance and international business development experience that Mike brings to Nui.”
Visit www.nuimarkets.com
