PF Olsen head Peter Clark steps down
Just last month, US-owned Rayonier Matariki Forest saw its long-serving Managing Director, Paul Nicholls, retire after 25 years with the company.
Mr Clark, who also stepped down as President of the NZ Forest Owners Association last month after completing his two-year term, says: “It is time for some fresh thinking to continue the journey of the company.
“I came into this role at a time when PF Olsen was a relatively small business and have had the support of key clients, staff and successive boards to grow it into a substantial forestry services firm in New Zealand and Australia.
“The job is a long way from finished but I’ve decided that someone else will be better at leading the next phase.”
The PF Olsen Group board has established a ‘CEO replacement subcommittee’ and will work with a professional recruitment company to search for a successor.
Mr Clark says he intends to take a 6-month break and “then see how else I can best play a role in the fantastic opportunities forestry has ahead of it”.
Among those roles he singled out that interest him is how forestry can help New Zealand meet the Paris Climate Change Agreement, and any subsequent international agreements, to reduce our net greenhouse gas emissions.
“Planting forests is a temporary fix that can buy us some time, but greater use of wood-based biofuels and timber in construction provides long term benefits,” he says.
The PF Olsen Group is based in Rotorua and has offices across the key forestry regions in New Zealand, as well as offices throughout Australia.