Clark Taylor has been employed as the shareholder relationships manager for the co-operative that owns 50% of the processing and marketing arm, Silver Fern Farms.
Chinese partner Shanghai Maling owns the balance.
In a letter to shareholders, co-operative chairman Rob Hewett said Taylor, who had a rural banking background, was the co-operative’s only employee.
Hewett also said shareholders would get two annual distributions, a dividend on ordinary and rebate shares and a patronage reward based on the volume of qualifying stock supplied to the co-operative in a calendar year and correlated against the number of shares owned.
“We believe the regular distribution of a dividend to co-operative shareholders combined with a patronage reward to supplying shareholders will encourage further loyal supply over time and will generate demand for shares from non-shareholder suppliers and under-shared suppliers.”
Hewett said shareholder suppliers would also receive other benefits such as preference processing space, preferential access to value-added programmes, governance development and invitations to farmer conferences and international market trips.
