The Poultry Industry Association of New Zealand (PIANZ), Egg Producers Federation (EPF) and New Zealand Feed Manufacturers Association (NZFMA) are delighted to announce the appointment of Fiona MacMillan as the new Executive Director of all three industry organisations.
Fiona’s recent career is a seafood buffet of sorts, initially with listed seafood company, Sanford, before moving into Seafood New Zealand as the GM of Marketing and Communications. She has also served as Chair of the Global Seafood Communicators group. She is a keen advocate for sustainability, having worked with The Aotearoa Circle in an engagement role, working with leading New Zealand organisations which share the values of helping conserve natural resources.
“We are thrilled Fiona is swapping scales for feathers, applying her leadership expertise and communication skills to our poultry industry,” says PIANZ Chair Egbert Segers. “We also extend our best wishes and thanks to retiring Executive Director, Michael Brooks who for more than two decades, has guided the industry through times of real transition and change.”
Fiona says New Zealand’s poultry farmers are ‘salt-of-the-earth’ people, whom she is enjoying meeting as her role gets underway.
“I’m excited for the challenge of leading the organisations that represent all facets of New Zealand’s poultry farming communities. These are changing times for poultry industries globally, and my role is to ensure our farmers are best prepared for the challenges we might face down the road.”
The opportunity to meet the people who make up the industry and hear their stories comes naturally to Fiona, who started her career in broadcast journalism, both in New Zealand and then overseas in London. She is however, happiest immersed in the primary industries that form New Zealand’s backbone and is looking forward to this next chapter.