Lain Jager

Biography

Lain Jager – Experienced CEO, Director, Investor

Lain Jager is best known for his time with the hugely successful kiwifruit marketer Zespri where he was CEO from 2008 to 2017. During his tenure as CEO Zespri grew strongly through the impact and recovery from the bacterial vine disease Psa, grower returns doubled, and the share price grew from $1.00 to $8.00.

Today, Lain is involved in a range of investment projects in Tourism and Agribusiness,  serves as a Director on several Boards,  was the Chairman of the Primary Sector Council which produced the Fit for a Better World Report focused on the New Zealand Food and Fibre Sector, and  is the  Co-Chair of  Te Puna Whakaaronui – a Food and Fibre think tank.

Lain and his wife Debra live on a lifestyle block in Tauranga, New Zealand.

Setting the scene: Bridging the gap between the current and future state

This presentation recaps the place of Horticulture in the New Zealand Food and Fibre sector and New Zealand more broadly.  Lain will then review the 2035 action plan and explore the risks confronting the sector including the impacts of cycle Gabrielle as a starting point to exploring how we can protect and grow today’s horticulture businesses.  With the foundation set, Lain will go on to explore where our next billion dollar businesses will come from using case studies to crystalise both the characteristics of growing large value chains and the associated challenges.  The presentation will conclude by putting it all together to outline what it’s going to take to grow NZ Horticulture exports from $6B to $12B by 2035.