John Roadley Steps Down From Fonterra Board

John Roadley Steps Down From Fonterra Board

The former chairman of Fonterra Co-operative Group, Mr John Roadley has resigned from the Fonterra board, as signalled last August.

Mr Roadley resigned from the chairmanship at the annual meeting on September 12, but agreed to stay on the board until the end of the year to assist with the transition.

Fonterra’s new chairman, Mr Henry van der Heyden said Mr Roadley had made a vital contribution to the co-operative and the industry, initially by presiding over the merger and then guiding Fonterra through its first crucial year.

“For many years he has been one of my valued colleagues,” said Mr van der Heyden. “John is a visionary and he has always given of his best for our industry. He plans to take a well-deserved break from industry leadership and we all wish him well.”

Mr Roadley began his involvement with the industry in 1988 as a director of Alpine Dairy Products He was chairman of the South Island Dairy Company before it merged with the New Zealand Dairy Group. Mr Roadley subsequently became deputy chairman of NZDG. He moved from this position to head GlobalCo and then Fonterra.

Earlier this year farmer shareholders voted to reduce the number of farmer directors on the Fonterra board from ten to nine. Mr Roadley’s resignation avoids the need for a national election to bring about this reduction.

© Scoop Media