Board of Directors
The appointment of a board was a critical step forward in this company's young history and stands testament to the fact that Rissington Breedline is performing at the highest of levels from inside the farm gate to global markets. Clients and partners of Rissington Breedline can trust in the expertise of this governing team.
Rick Bettle
Chairman
Rick is a professional Director and has immense board and executive experience in our industry and across many other sectors. He is an Accredited Fellow and immediate Past President of the New Zealand Institute of Directors. Of industry note he currently chairs Ovita and Baker Ag and he has previously chaired NZ Lamb Company and Wrightson Finance. He also was the Managing Director of Wrightson from 1987 to 1991 and the CEO of Alliance Group from 1991 to 1995. In addition to this Rick has a long list of current and former board and executive roles to his name on a number of listed and private companies.
"Rissington Breedline helps farmers to produce the product that will grow demand for lamb and beef internationally. The New Zealand Meat industry has consistently failed to move forward from the farm gate auction system that has ensured many farmers constantly receive mixed signals about the real value of the product they produce. Rissington Breedline is trying to show the value of a cooperative approach from breeding to processing to retailing and I am proud to be part of such a business."
Simon Beamish
Director
Simon is a Hawke's Bay-based company director of Rissington Breedline and General Manager of Beamish Farms Ltd. As General Manager, Simon operates 26,000 stock units on three properties comprising of 2,954 ha. Beamish Farms are a foundation shareholder of Rissington Breedline and farm a large number of the Primera® elite ewes.
"As a supporter and contributor to the Rissington Breedline vision, my personal view is ‘The lamb business in the future must dramatically move on from the past. The key elements to this are involving people willing to embrace change, improved genetics and management, sophisticated value chains, farmers belonging to supply groups and science seeking quantum solutions'."
Craig Osborne
Director
Craig is a Christchurch-based company director of Rissington Breedline and an Executive of PGG Wrightson Limited. PGG Wrightson, New Zealand's largest agri-business service provider, is the largest local investor in BioPacificVentures who is a major shareholder of Rissington Breedline. BioPacificVentures is a $100m investment fund focused on young life science companies, particularly those involved with food and health and agriculture. Craig is Group Manager of Strategy for PGG Wrightson, responsible for strategic direction across the entire PGG Wrightson Group.
"PGG Wrightson see Rissington Breedline as one of the leaders - and potential major beneficiary - of the changes that are occurring in the lamb production supply chain model. The path they are taking is already well established in the international dairy, pork and poultry industries, and is likely to gain momentum here in response to the continued low lamb schedule prices experienced recently by the industry."
Dr Andrew Kelly
Director
Andrew is a company director of Rissington Breedline from the major shareholder BioPacificVentures. Andrew was one of the founders of BioPacificVentures which is a $100m investment fund focused on young life science companies, particularly those involved with food, health and agriculture. Andrew is a veterinarian by training and Australian; he came to New Zealand 10 years ago as Director of AgResearch's Invermay Research Centre in Dunedin, the home of much of Rissington Breedline's genetic technology. Andrew has overseen the fund's nine investments to date and is a Director on four of the companies. BioPacificVentures invested in Rissington Breedline because of the bold moves it was making in the lamb industry.
"To be successful in business, and investment, takes vision and strong nerves these days, and Rissington Breedline was pushing into a whole new way of doing business in lamb. We were especially attracted by the revolutionary approach to the lamb supply chain, which we see as having potential in other industries too."
Jeremy Absolom
Director
Jeremy graduated form Otago University, Bachelor of Commerce Degree in 1993. Employed by Rissington Cattle Company where he rose to CEO in 1998. Jeremy was a founding shareholder and has been the CEO of Rissington Breedline since its inception in 2001. In May 2009 Jeremy was appointed the Intergrated Supply Chain Manager for Silver Fern Farms Limited."
Rissington Breedline's aim is to provide the very best genetics to a fully intergrated market company, investing in consumer produts that will differentiate and add value to our farmer partners and customers."
