David Pilkington Appointed Managing Director Of New Zealand Milk
David Pilkington has been appointed Managing Director of NEW ZEALAND MILK, Global Dairy Company Chief Executive Officer
Craig Norgate has announced to staff.
“David is highly regarded after more than 25 years in the industry,” Mr Norgate said today. “He has the leadership
skills to bring the existing NEW ZEALAND MILK organisation together with Australasian Food Holdings (Mainland and Peters & Brownes) to combine our domestic and global consumer businesses for the first time. The new company will have a
turnover of NZ$5.3 billion and more than 11,000 staff and will be well positioned to continue to pursue the growth
strategy for our consumer and foodservice businesses globally.”
Mr Norgate expects to make announcements about the other three senior executives who will report to him directly towards
the end of next month. The other three positions are the Chief Financial Officer, the Director of Corporate Strategy and
the Director of Human Resources. The fifth senior executive to report directly to Mr Norgate, the Managing Director
NZMP, is Chris Moller and that appointment was announced last week.
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David Pilkington Bio
Managing Director, NEW ZEALAND MILK
David Pilkington has more than 25 years’ experience in the New Zealand dairy industry and more than 15 at senior levels.
He first joined the Technical Division of the New Zealand Dairy Board and worked predominantly in the cheese area before
switching to a career in marketing and market development, including a three and a half year stint with NZMP Inc in the
United States.
In 1986, Mr Pilkington was appointed President of NZMP (Japan) Ltd before returning to New Zealand to take up his next
appointment as General Manager, Milkpowder Division, in 1988. In 1992, he returned to the United States as CEO of the
industry’s North American regional holding company before becoming the board’s Group General Manager, New Zealand
Operations in 1994. In 1999, New Zealand Operations was extended to become Global Operations.
In 2000, Mr Pilkington was appointed Group Managing Director of NEW ZEALAND MILK, the board’s consumer and foodservice
Strategic Business Unit. In 2001, he was appointed Managing Director of Global Dairy Company’s NEW ZEALAND MILK, which
will include Australasian Food Holdings (Mainland and Peters & Brownes) and have turnover of NZ$5.3 billion and more than 11,000 staff.
Mr Pilkington graduated in 1976 with a Bachelor of Science and a Bachelor of Engineering (Chemistry) from the University
of Canterbury, and was awarded a Postgraduate Diploma in Dairy Science and Technology the following year. He was brought
up in the Hawke’s Bay.
He and his family live in Wellington.
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