New Board Chair For Pāmu Farms Of New Zealand

Landcorp Farming Limited’s (Pāmu) shareholding ministers have appointed John Rae as Pāmu Board Chair and Sarah Paterson as a director. The pair joined the Pāmu board on 1 August 2024.

Acknowledgement goes to Deputy Chair Nigel Atherfold, who stepped into the Acting Chair role after the sad passing of Dr Warren Parker in December last year.

Pāmu Acting Board Chair Nigel Atherfold says: “John Rae comes to Pāmu with solid experience in the rural sector and a sound understanding of the opportunities and challenges Pāmu faces. He has a strong commercial background that will support the Pāmu strategy and the team’s increased focus on performance. Sarah Paterson has a background in agricultural and trade policy, with a focus on the primary industries, and works on strategic projects across the dairy, red meat and horticulture sectors.

“I am delighted to welcome both John and Sarah to the board and look forward to working with them,” Mr Atherfold says.

New Board Chair John Rae says: “Pāmu is a unique asset. As well as being focussed on farming excellence and driving improved financial performance, there is potential for the organisation to play a greater role in making a real difference for Aotearoa New Zealand. This includes developing farm system solutions that help agriculture’s transition to meet the evolving expectations of consumers, society, and regulators.”

Mark Leslie, Pāmu CEO, affirmed the appointment’s significance saying: “It’s great to have these appointments confirmed so we can move forward confidently and in a clear direction. I’ve already spoken to Mr Rae about the focus Pāmu has on enhanced performance and the strategic role Pāmu plays within the New Zealand farming sector and the opportunity for the company to work across government and in partnership with the agriculture sector for the benefit New Zealand Inc.”

John Rae is Chairman of Gisborne Holdings Ltd, Te Rāhui Herenga Waka Whakatāne, Abodo Wood Ltd, Thos. Corson Holdings Ltd, Crown Regional Holdings Ltd and Director of Bremworth Ltd, and Midland Fund Management Ltd, and has previously held a wide range of directorships including as a foundation member of the Provincial Growth Fund.

Sarah Paterson is a Director of Blue Circle Consulting Ltd, the New Zealand Meat Board, Kiwifruit New Zealand, New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, and Inter-Weave Ltd. She is also an independent board member of the Army Leadership Board and co-founder of Global Trade Insights.

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