Toni Brendish steps down as Westland Dairy CEO

Westland Dairy Company CEO Toni Brendish is reportedly stepping down from the position, slightly over a year after the company was acquired by China’s Yili.

Brendish joined Westland as CEO in 2016, having previously held several roles within the Danone Group, including as managing director of Nutricia Australia and New Zealand.

Westland was acquired last year by Hongkong Jingang Trade Holding, a wholly owned subsidiary of Yili, for NZD 588 million ($403 million).

During her tenure at the company, Brendish is said to have focused her team’s efforts on ensuring Westland is operating in the most efficient manner across all product ranges.

Following Brendish’s departure, the role of CEO will be assumed by Shiqing Jian, resident director for Westland Dairy Co and Oceania Dairy, according to The New Zealand Herald.

“Repositioning Westland away from an historical commodities producer to a modern company with hugely successful branded products such as Westgold as well as segregated milk products among other key innovations has ensured that Westland will continue to be part of the New Zealand dairy industry for the next generation,” said Jian in a statement cited by NZ Herald.

“Yili is grateful to Toni for her stewardship of Westland over the past 12 months as we transitioned to Yili ownership.”