Wyeth, the former chief executive of Miraka, takes up the leadership role of Westland Dairy, owned by global dairy giant China’s Yili Group, from resident director Shiqing Jian.
Jian acted as interim chief executive following the resignation of former chief executive Toni Brendish.
Yili also owns Oceania Dairy in South Canterbury.
“We hope Richard is as excited as we are about the opportunities that lie ahead for Westland as he takes stewardship of this iconic New Zealand company,” Jian said.
Wyeth says he is looking forward to bringing the strength of a global dairy giant to the opportunities that lie ahead for the Westland Dairy Company.
Westland holds a unique place within the NZ dairy landscape and now, with the backing of Yili, the company is uniquely placed to leverage the advantages of its strong dairy heritage and culture,” Wyeth said.
“It is a great honour to be entrusted as the custodian of this iconic NZ company.
“I am especially aware of the important role Westland plays, not only within the NZ dairy industry, but also as part of the West Coast and Canterbury communities.
“Yili is an enormously innovative company dedicated to quality and serving the consumer above everything else.
“Being part of that naturally brings huge advantages for Westland.
“There has never been a more exciting time for the dairy industry in NZ and I look forward to embracing all the challenges, opportunities and responsibilities that it brings in my new role.”
Brendish, who led Westland Milk through its most difficult years, resigned in August last year, having been at the helm for four years.
With three years heading the former farmer-owned dairy co-operative, repositioning Westland away from a historical commodities producer to a modern company with hugely successful branded products, Brendish then completed Westland’s first year of transition to Yili.
Jian says demand for Westland and Oceania’s products continues to rise internationally, demonstrating the value that global consumers place on NZ dairy goods.
“We are convinced that the future for the dairy industry in NZ is a very bright one indeed,’’ he said.
“Increased demand for our products shows how much value global consumers place on the undoubted quality of NZ-based dairy products and their potential health benefits because of the advantages of NZ’s climate, location and quality processing facilities.
“We are committed to ensuring that our dairy processors play a strong role in the continued success of the NZ dairy industry by creating products of the highest calibre that contribute to the promotion of global good health.”
