Jim van der Poel retires from Fonterra board

Jim van der Poel has announced that he will retire from the Fonterra board in November. He has been a director of Fonterra for the last 12 years.

“Jim has served as a great ambassador for Fonterra and our farmers both here in New Zealand and our markets around the world. [He] is a successful commercial farmer with farming interests in Waikato, Canterbury and the United States. He was a New Zealand Dairy Group director for several years before Fonterra’s formation and was elected to the Fonterra board in 2002,” said Fonterra Chairman John Wilson.

“It is important that Fonterra continues to attract farmers of his calibre to the board, who have proven commercial experience and abilities, have taken part in our Governance Development Programme and gained governance experience.”

“As I step aside from a role that I have found personally and professionally rewarding, I would like to see more of our farmers getting involved in governance early in their careers. In this way they can gain the skills required for strong governance and be ready to serve on Fonterra’s board,” said van der Poel.

“That is why I am announcing my retirement now, so others might be encouraged to step up to the plate in this year’s elections, or in subsequent years.”