Theo Spierings brings a wealth of international experience to ForFarmers

Theo Spierings is the new CEO of animal feed company ForFarmers. The news was announced by the company this week. He succeeds Chris Deen who is stepping down as CEO due to illness.

Spierings studied food technology at HAS Den Bosch and rose to prominence in the Dutch agricultural sector as director of Friesland Foods. As CEO, he led the merger with Campina there. From 2011 to 2019, he was CEO of New Zealand dairy giant Fonterra.

Spierings is a much talked about man in New Zealand. This is not surprising, since Fonterra is the largest company in the country. He is nicknamed “the 8 million man” in New Zealand, in reference to the $8.3 million he received for his work there in 2017. He was the highest paid man in the country.

Clearly Spierings has a lot of international experience. He is known as someone who knows what he wants and is direct, but can also be a connector. In recent years, with his initiative “The Purpose Factory”, he has focused on the sustainability and transformation of businesses in the agricultural sector.

Focus on sustainability

His international experience and focus on sustainability could very well come in handy at ForFarmers. This week, the Achterhoek-listed company presented its new business strategy. Sustainability is an important pillar in this regard. The company wants to work more with alternative raw materials and circularity and wants to further reduce nitrogen emissions.

Foreign countries are also important to ForFarmers. Due to the contraction of the home markets of the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany, the company is forced to look further. Things are better in Poland at the moment. Spierings comes at a time when the company is facing major challenges. Lower animal feed sales put pressure on profitability.

In New Zealand, Spierings was also referred to as the “Louis van Gaal of the dairy”, in addition to “the 8 million man”, due to his idiosyncrasy and direct way of communicating, much like the national coach . Time will tell if Spierings can turn ForFarmers into a winning team again.