Our Vision

Spring Sheep Milk Co. aims to deliver the pure nutritious goodness of New Zealand sheep milk to consumers all over the world.

Our Partnership

Pāmu and SLC Group jointly own Spring Sheep Dairy NZ LP. We are able to bring both organisations’ expertise together, to create the best pastures, employ the best farm practices as well as process and deliver top quality products for you to enjoy.

Pāmu is owned by the New Zealand Government and is New Zealand’s largest farmer with over 1.6 million stock units producing milk, beef, lamb, venison and wool for supply to global partners and customers.

Pāmu’s farming philosophy guides Spring Sheep Milk Co.'s farming practices – we care for our animals, we employ best in class farm management practices and we farm to ensure that our environment is left in excellent conditions for our future generations.

SLC Group is a marketing company that specialises in taking the very best New Zealand products to consumers all over the world. Small and agile, SLC Group has a track record in providing specialist skills, experience and resources to ensure that only the best products leave New Zealand shores and that they are tailored and refined to meet the needs of our global customers and consumers.

click here to visit Pāmu’s website

The Spring Sheep Team

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The Girls: Here are just a few of ‘our girls’ enjoying the fresh green grass, warm sun and clean air on our farm. Running around after them is a small, committed and very talented team of people….

NICK HAMMOND

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER AND CO-FOUNDER

Nick is the CEO of Spring Sheep Milk Co., stepping into the role in 2021. Nick is a natural leader and is described as an entrepreneur and innovator by those who work with him. His strong business acumen has propelled Spring Sheep Milk Co. from a start-up to a high-growth business. Nick is qualified as both a Chartered Accountant and Lawyer, and has been recognised on the national stage for his innovation.

THOMAS MACDONALD

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

Thomas has been part of Spring Sheep’s journey since the beginning and has a long-term vision to drive innovation for our sheep milk industry to thrive on a global scale. Thomas won the coveted Zanda McDonald Award in 2018 in recognition of his exceptional work with Spring Sheep. Thomas leads our teams across genetics, milk supply, manufacturing and market access.

SCOTTIE CHAPMAN

CO-FOUNDER AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Scottie’s passion is designing and enthusiastically implementing international sales strategies. Scottie spent 15 years off-shore and has extensive experience taking NZ brands to the world. He is also a Director of SLC Ventures.

JAMES HORROCKS

CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

James’ experience includes running business finance for Google’s partnerships business in Europe/Africa, and advising on capital allocation. He also has experience in investment banking, and advising on successful mergers and acquisitions. James is a Chartered Accountant and holds an MBA with Distinction from Oxford where he was a Saïd Foundation Scholar.

SHANE TOPP

CHIEF SALES OFFICER

Shane is our key connector and partnership maker. With over 20+ years of senior sales experience, his mission is to take our sheep milk products to the world. A master negotiator and relationship builder, Shane establishes the best deal for all parties involved and has vast experience in developing new sales channels in new markets.

ANDREA WILKINS

CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER

Andrea is our brilliant marketer and equally as quick-witted as she is creative, she is the driving force behind the brands. Andrea has extensive experience with large multinational FMCG companies. She has many innovation success stories under her belt, having developed and implemented several insights programmes and new product concept development projects.

ROBERT BUCHAN

GENERAL MANAGER - SUPPLY CHAIN

Rob is a highly motivated professional with a passion for developing teams and individuals. Living in the Waikato Region has provided the platform for a 25+ year career in the dairy industry, with his experience spanning operations, logistics, quality assurance, leadership and process improvements. His respectful calm nature has built strong relationships with our business partners driving the highest standards and outcomes for the business.

MEREDITH DICKENS

REGULATORY AFFAIRS & FOOD SAFETY MANAGER

Med has over 22 years of experience working for food manufacturers covering market access, regulatory affairs, food safety & quality assurance, new product development, consumer relations and master data management. He also gained extensive overseas market access and regulatory affairs experience whilst residing in South Africa, Malaysia and New Zealand.

NATALIE MACBETH

NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT AND R&D MANAGER

Nat has a background in Food Science and 15+ years of working within the industry with a focus on a variety of new product development projects at well-known food manufacturers. Natalie has extensive experience in the formulation, trial and registration of new products made with sheep milk and is well-regarded in the New Zealand food and dairy science community.

DR ISOBEL WILLISON

GENETICS AND LIVESTOCK MANAGER

Izzy is a passionate sheep vet and the current breeding programme manager of Spring Sheep's very own Zealandia® dairy sheep. Having spent several years in France learning about dairy sheep, Izzy published a Master’s thesis on strategies for New Zealand to develop a large-scale dairy sheep breeding programme. This global perspective combined with knowledge of what drives genetic gain in a New Zealand farming context underpins the success of the advanced Zealandia® breeding programme.

JOSEPH HIGHET

COMMERCIAL MANAGER MILK SUPPLY

Joe has built a career in the dairy industry where he has worked across large New Zealand processors in a variety of commercial roles. Through his roles, Joe has spent a lot of time with the farming community and has built a great reputation in the industry. He has also spent time within government managing the milk price review process for the Commerce Commission.

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Our Board of Directors

Joining Scottie on the board is...

MICHAEL AHIE

CHAIRMAN

Of Taranaki, Ngā Ruahine and Ngāti Ruanui descent Michael is dedicated to helping create the commercial and cultural success stories that help New Zealand organisations thrive. Nimbly straddling a number of high profile roles in academia and the public and private sector, Michael lists Chancellor of Massey University, Chair of Plant & Food Research and the Inland Revenue Risk & Assurance Committee amongst his responsibilities.

LAIN JAGER

PROFESSIONAL DIRECTOR

Lain is our New Zealand Agribusiness champion. He was most recently at the helm of Zespri Group Limited as CEO and was at the forefront of the kiwifruit industry’s spectacular recovery. Lain is now turning his hand to a portfolio role comprised of supporting a number of interesting investments, some Directorships, and some strategic consulting and mentoring.

SEAN KEANE

PROFESSIONAL DIRECTOR

Sean's career spans 35 years in the financial markets, in a variety of senior management roles in London, Sydney, Singapore and Tokyo. Sean acts as an external advisor to Credit Suisse and he is the founder and Managing Director of Triple T Consulting Ltd. Sean is also a non-executive Director of Jarden Group as well as Chair of Pearlfisher Capital Ltd.

MARK LESLIE

PROFESSIONAL DIRECTOR

Mark has 25 years of experience in the Agricultural Industry including roles in operations, logistics, technology and product development, and quality assurance. Mark has spent nearly two decades at one of New Zealand’s largest dairy brands as head of the operations and supply chain and more recently in the meat industry before joining Pāmu as CEO.

NIGEL ATHERFOLD

PROFESSIONAL DIRECTOR

Nigel has over 25 years’ experience in finance, covering corporate finance, treasury risk management and banking. He is currently a director and shareholder of a corporate finance and economics advisory company, director of two farming companies that have dairy, arable, and sheep and beef assets and is on a number of dairy advisory boards.

Contact

For all enquiries please email info@springsheep.co.nz