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“General Manager appointed at Riddet Institute”

Mark Ward, the former chief executive of Crown research institute Crop & Food, has been appointed General Manager of the Riddet Institute, a national Centre of Research Excellence (CoRE). Mr Ward commences his role next week.

Chairman of the Riddet Institute, Dr Jim Watson, said the new role is crucial to the ongoing development of the Institute.  "The Riddet Institute is undergoing a major expansion of its activities and the time is right for the appointment of a General Manager."

Before his position of CEO of Crop & Food Mr Ward held senior management positions at AgResearch and Fonterra.  His experience spans the food value-added chain in a number of important sectors including dairy, meat, seafood, crops and horticulture.

He also has significant international marketing experience in the pharmaceutical industry in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. He holds a BSc and MSc in Biochemistry and Cellular and Molecular Biology from the University of Auckland and an MBA from Deakin University, Melbourne.

Mr Ward said he was looking forward to making a significant contribution to the Riddet Institute. "I believe there is much more potential to be realised by innovative food companies in partnership with New Zealand's world-class scientific capability," he said.

"The Riddet Institute is growing rapidly and is attracting ever-increasing food industry support, both nationally and internationally. It's exciting and I eagerly anticipate my involvement," said Mr Ward.

The Riddet Institute is the country's most recent of the eight CoREs, receiving that status in 2007. More than 120 researchers and PhD students from all over the country are engaged in the work of the Institute, whose aim is to deliver benefits for all segments of the New Zealand food industry. The Institute is hosted by Massey University and is headquartered in Palmerston North. Other partners are AgResearch, Plant & Food Research, the University of Otago and the University of Auckland.   Professor Paul Moughan and Professor Harjinder Singh are the Institute's co-directors.

 

Contact:  Mark Ward, 0274 329 640