The two countries are a good fit – in the self-deprecating way of looking at ourselves. We are not afraid to laugh at ourselves. We are a little bit more humble that our big neighbours – Canada as opposed to the U.S. and New Zealand versus Australia. But New Zealand doesn’t have a large supply of executives who have grown up in a truly competitive environment – because it is such a small country. If you look at a number of bigger companies, it is not surprising to see them run by foreigners who have this kind of background.
In driving change at Fonterra, I found things were designed more out of a textbook, rather than designed to be honed in the marketplace. You have to learn how to bridge the textbook and the reality of the market. Part of it was understanding that you need the absolute best team playing for you, whether the All Blacks in rugby or the Canadian Olympic hockey team. You have to have the best players and working together in a seamless way.
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ANDREW FERRIER
Title:
Former CEO, Fonterra Co-operative Group Ltd.; now an investor and director
Personal:
Born in Montreal, 52 years old
Education:
Bachelor’s in business, University of New Brunswick
MBA, Concordia University
Career highlights:
Sixteen years in the sugar industry in Canada, the U.S., Britain and Mexico.
Became president and CEO of Tate & Lyle North America Sugars Inc.
Headed GSW Inc., a Canadian maker of water heaters and other products, from 2000 to 2003.
Served as CEO of Fonterra from Sept. 1, 2003-Sept. 30, 2011.
