Cooks appoints Norah Barlow to board

NZX announcement barlow – 1

December 11, 2013

Cooks appoints Norah Barlow to board

Cooks Global Foods (NZX:CGF) announces the appointment of Norah Barlow as an independent director effective January 1, 2014.

Currently CEO and managing director of NZX listed retirement village developer and operator Summerset Group (NZX:SUM), Ms Barlow retires from the role in the first half of 2014 but remains a director.

Cooks chairman Keith Jackson says Ms Barlow brings wide commercial experience to the company’s board.

“Norah’s accounting background and institutional strengths are valued as is her leadership and experience in a growth business such as Summerset,” Mr Jackson says.

Ms Barlow formed her own accounting practice in 1992 before selling it in 1999 to join Summerset as group accountant. She was appointed CEO in 2002.

During her tenure, Ms Barlow has witnessed Summerset’s growth from two villages in 1999 to 16 today, with a further four in planning stages. Summerset listed on the NZX in 2011 and two years later on the ASX. The company now has a market capitalisation of circa $650m.

Ms Barlow is also a director of Cigna Insurance Limited and in 2012 was appointed to the National Advisory Council for the Employment of Women by the Minster of Women's Affairs.

She has been a board member of the Retirement Villages Association since 2002, becoming president in 2005 and retiring from the role in 2012 and is now immediate past president. She was also the recipient of the award for the Most Outstanding Contributor to Over 50s Housing 2013 presented at an awards ceremony in London in November.

Keith Jackson, Chairman

Cooks Global Foods

About Cooks Global Foods:

Cooks Global Foods (NZX:CGF) owns the Esquires Coffee Houses brand and system in the United Kingdom and Ireland, where it directly franchises stores. It also operates via its Master Franchisees who operate in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain and China.

© Scoop Media