Company execs rough it in Waikato
‘‘Next year congress can be out there in the world, but I wanted to connect with the roots (of Fonterra).’’
Hundreds of Fonterra’s global top brass have been yanked out of their international five-star comfort zones into a surprise campervan conference at rural Mystery Creek in Waikato to foster awareness of the dairy giant’s roots.
More than 200 Fonterra executives from around the world are sharing campervans and living in a specially created village at the events centre between Hamilton and Cambridge as new European chief executive Theo Spierings turns their annual high-level congress into a sharp learning curve about the importance of grassroots and New Zealand dairying’s history.
Last night the executives were joined at the location by about 100 Waikato farmers, Fonterra directors and shareholder councillors for a dinner from a ‘‘farmer’s market’’ on the specially grassed Fonterra ‘‘village green’’ offer- ing seafood, lamb and organic food and New Zealand beer and wines.
It is the first corporate camp Mystery Creek has hosted and has been nearly two months in the planning. About 180 campervans were brought down in convoys from Auckland. The village offers everything conference attendees might need so they do not have to leave Mystery Creek for the next two days – except to visit nearby farms this morning to see milking.
Mr Spierings said few of his global lieutenants ‘‘really know the grassroots, know the Waikato, know the farms where it all started’’.
‘‘Next year congress can be out there in the world, but I wanted to connect with the roots (of Fonterra).’’
Executives from the world’s biggest dairy exporter did not know their congress destination when they landed at Auckland yesterday. Some had speculated the conference would be in France, Mr Spierings said.
He had considered having the congress in Asia, then Auckland.
But given he has just launched a new strategy for the $20 billion annual revenue company and formed a new senior management team, he did not want ‘‘people disappearing into the city or their homes at night’’.
‘‘This is a concept that will keep people together for two days. A lot of them don’t know each other’s business, it’s a good opportunity to interact.‘‘
Mr Spierings said some of the visitors will be ‘‘dragged too far out of their comfort zone’’ and be uncomfortable.
‘‘We work hard to bring home results from around the world, but we should never forget where we came from. In the management of big companies people tend to forget.
‘‘I believe in playing to the left field all of a sudden. It really forces people out of their comfort zone and in my experience this delivers good results.’’
Mr Spierings was mum on the cost but said it was cheaper than accommodating the conference at hotels in Auckland.