OCEANIA DAIRY ANNOUNCES LEADERSHIP CHANGE

12/06/2015

 

Oceania Dairy has announced the appointment of Roger Usmar as the company’s General Manager.

 

Usmar takes over the leadership of Oceania from Aidan Johnstone who had guided the company since Inner Mongolia Yili Industrial Group Company Limited acquired the shares in Oceania in April 2013.

 

The $236 million Glenavy factory has just completed its first full season of milk production.

 

Usmar has extensive New Zealand dairy industry experience with Fonterra and it’s legacy companies and in-depth operational and people management experience. He is excited by the challenge that Yili’s significant development plans for the Oceania site will bring.

 

“Oceania Dairy is embarking on a significant $400 million expansion project that will more than triple capacity and considerably expand Glenavy’s product range by 2017,” said Usmar.

 

“We will be adding more than 130 career opportunities at the site and handling more than 630 million litres of milk from local farm suppliers.

 

“It is an incredibly exciting time for the company and the region,” he said.

 

In its first season of operation, Oceania Dairy’s Glenavy plant has received and processed 206 million litres of milk and produced  32,000 tonnes of milk powder. The bulk of the powder has been exported to China, generating US$90 million of export revenue.

 

Johnstone intends to focus on managing and developing his family’s business interests and will continue to be available to Yili and Oceania in an advisory capacity.