Meet the Team
A wealth of experience within the New Zealand Kiwifruit industry
Pictured: Finale Orchard, acquired by Origin Capital Fund 1
The Origin Capital Partners Team
The Origin Capital team has been involved in all parts of the Kiwifruit industry, as growers, post-harvest owners and operators, and at Zespri for over 30 years. We have the connections, market knowledge and track record of operational excellence to help drive returns at above industry levels.
Dominic Jones
Managing Director
Dominic (Dom) is Managing Director of Origin Capital Partners and combines a professional background in finance with lifelong personal involvement in kiwifruit.
Prior to the establishment of Origin Capital Fund 1, Dom had a career in banking, including five years in London specialising in the sourcing, structuring and execution of complex and large debt deals typically in the range of $100m - $2bn across the UK, Europe and the US.
Dom returned home from London to drive the establishment of Origin Capital Partners and has now successfully the fundraise for both Origin Capital Fund 1 and 2. As of September 2022, Fund 1 had assets under management of approximately $152m and Fund 2 has already made its first investment into a SunGold development orchard and Zespri shares.
Dom leads the Origin Capital Partners team and is responsible for driving the Fund’s acquisition strategy. Dom made his first direct investment in kiwifruit in 2013 and in addition to his involvement in both Funds, has interests in seven orchards throughout the Bay of Plenty and Kerikeri.
Dom jointed the Board of DMS Progrowers 2020.
Lain Jager
Director
Lain has an extensive record of leadership within New Zealand agribusiness.
Lain was Zespri CEO from 2008 – 2017. During his tenure he oversaw the successful commercialisation of Zespri SunGold, grower returns doubled, Zespri’s market capitalisation grew by a factor of 8x to over $1bn and he oversaw the industry recover from the bacterial vine disease, Psa.
Lain’s insight into the industry, New Zealand’s position on the world stage and understanding the commercial viability of New Zealand kiwifruit is second to none and is of huge benefit in driving the strategic focus of Origin Capital Fund 1 and 2.
Today, Lain is involved in a range of projects in tourism and agribusiness. He is a director on several boards including Carrfields, DMS Progrowers and Arepa, and acts as a strategic advisor to a small number of companies. Lain was Chairman of the Primary Sector Council that delivered the ‘Fit for a Better World’ report, which was released by the government in July 2020.
Paul Jones
Director
Paul has been heavily involved in all aspects of the industry for over 30 years. Paul acquired his first orchard in 1989, the same year that he and Craig Greenlees established DMS Progrowers. Paul is joint Managing Director of DMS Progrowers.
Paul holds a number of leadership positions within the industry. He was elected to the Zespri Board of Directors in 2014 and is currently Deputy Chairman of the Board. He is also a member of the Industry Advisory Council, a former (and founding) Director of the Kiwifruit Vine Health committee and a former member of New Zealand Kiwifruit Growers Incorporated, the grower advocacy forum.
Paul was one of the early adopters of the SunGold variety and invested heavily during the initial years of commercialisation. Paul is an active orchardist with particular expertise in designing and implementing on-orchard practices to optimise profitability.
Paul has a direct interest in 42 orchards throughout the Bay of Plenty, Kerikeri and Gisborne. Through the establishment of numerous corporate ownership vehicles, Paul also has substantial experience in the management of third party investment in kiwifruit.
Craig Greenlees
Director
Craig has been an orchard owner and industry leader since 1983. Craig jointly founded DMS with Paul and is joint Managing Director of DMS Progrowers.
Craig served as a Director of Zespri from 1999 - 2014 and was Chairman of the Board from 2002 - 2008. During this time with Zespri, Craig oversaw the growth of Hort16A (the first ‘Gold’ kiwifruit) in global markets, as well as the subsequent transition to the SunGold variety that drives the huge profitability of the industry today. Craig was a founding member and served as Deputy President of New Zealand Kiwifruit Growers Incorporated, and also helped form the Industry Advisory Council, which caters specifically to the financial, tax and regulatory aspects of the kiwifruit industry.
Craig is an active orchard owner and investor, and currently has a direct interest in 38 orchards held in the Bay of Plenty and Kerikeri.
Craig has an extensive background in corporate governance, finance and operational management, particularly within agribusiness. Alongside Paul, Craig has established numerous successful kiwifruit partnerships that continue to operate successfully today under his leadership and direction.
Independent Directors
Simon Botherway
Independent Chairman
Following 15 years working in financial market and equities management roles, Simon jointly founded Brook Asset Management in 2002, which grew to become one of New Zealand’s most prominent wealth management firms, with over $1bn funds under management. Brook Asset Management was then acquired by Macquarie Bank in 2008.
Since then Simon has held a number of high profile leadership and governance roles. Previous roles include:
• Independent Director of Serko Limited, a SaaS focussed online corporate travel booking and expense management enterprise. Serko is listed on the NZX;
• A member of the Guardians of New Zealand Superannuation, overseeing the $38bn New Zealand Superannuation Fund;
• Member of the New Zealand Securities Commission; and
• Chairman of the Financial Markets Authority (“FMA”) Establishment Board, responsible for the institutional design and establishment of the FMA, the New Zealand government agency responsible for financial market regulation;
Simon’s current roles include:
• Chairman of Origin Capital Partners Management Ltd; and,
• Chairman of food delivery service provider DeliverEasy
Kim Wallace
Independent Director, Audit & Risk Committee Chair
Kim has both significant experience and passion for good governance and executive leadership, and we are delighted to have Kim on board as an independent director and chair of the Origin Capital Partners’ Audit & Risk Committee.
Kim has held a number of directorship positions since 2012, with Audit & Risk Committee Chair responsibilities from 2014. Other Current governance roles held include:
• AgResearch Ltd – Deputy Chair and Chair of the Audit & Risk Committee;
• Port Nelson Ltd – Independent Director and Chair of the Finance & Risk Committee; and,
• Christchurch City Council – Independent Chair of the Audit & Risk Management Committee.
In addition to the above, Kim has built a consulting practice that draws upon her significant experience and passion for good governance and executive leadership. Her current engagements include working with the NZ Transport Agency, Waka Kotahi.
Prior to specialising full-time in governance, Kim held senior executive roles within the dairy industry including CFO at Westland Milk Products from 2010-2016, and Vice President of Finance at Fonterra (USA) Inc from 2007 – 2009.
Independent Investment Committee Members
Tony, Dylan and Robbie will advise specifically on proposed acquisitions by Fund 2. Tony, Dylan and Robbie are not employees or directors of Origin Capital Partners, rather they are acting on a consultancy basis in their capacity as independent investment committee members.
Tony Hawken
Tony has been involved in the kiwifruit industry or for over 30 years. He was the founding CEO of post harvest company EastPack from 1983 - 2014, during which time EastPack become New Zealand’s largest kiwifruit post harvest company.
Since 2014 Tony has taken up a range of governance and advisory roles in the horticulture sector. He is the business development manager for Trinity Lands (a charitable trust holding one of New Zealand’s largest kiwifruit orchard portfolios), independent advisor to vegetable company AS Wilcox and independent chairman for number of a horticulture syndicates including Rockit and traditional apples, and hops.
Tony was elected to the Zespri Board as a Director in 2018. He is Chairman of the Industry Advisory Council and a member on the Audit and Risk, and Innovation sub-committees. Tony also has personal interests in two SunGold orchards, both located in Gisborne.
In 2015 Tony became an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to the kiwifruit industry.
Dylan Barrett
Dylan is extensively involved in the kiwifruit sector at both the post-harvest and orchard levels.
Dylan’s involvement in the sector began with private orchard ownership and he now has a direct interest in 5 orchards throughout the BOP and Gisborne.
Dylan is a Registered Valuer and Director at Preston Rowe Paterson, specialising in commercial and horticultural property. Dylan’s insights as a valuer, with access to the most current sales data and trends has been of huge value to Fund 1 as it has developed and acquired its portfolio, and will remain so as Fund 2 establishes its own portfolio throughout its early years.
In 2019 Dylan was elected to the Board of Directors at EastPack and remains in this role today. He is also Deputy Chairman of the Tauranga Community Housing Trust.
Robbie Mayston
Robbie joins the Origin Capital investment committee specifically for Fund 2.
Robbie is a well known and highly regarded grower, and orchards under his ownership and management consistently achieve results among the best in the industry. Robbie is a director of Bruntwood farms, a Bay of Plenty based kiwifruit orchard management company. Robbie and Bruntwood Farms manage Whakamarama Orchard for Fund 1, to date on the Fund’s strongest performing assets.
Robbie was one of the early trial growers for RubyRed, he is among the top trialists, and has continued to grow the variety on his home orchard. RubyRed has unique requirements, with site location and management important and Robbie’s advice will be invaluable.
Management Team
Led by Dominic Jones, the Management Team is responsible for the sourcing, analysis and negotiation of investment opportunities in addition to the day-to-day operational management of both
Fund 1 and Fund 2.
Sam Wood
Senior Manager, Fund Operations
Sam joined Origin Capital Partners in February 2021 ahead of the first close of Fund 1. Sam leads all aspects related to the day-to-day operational management of all Funds managed by Origin Capital Partners including compliance, reporting, finance and banking arrangements.
After finishing his studies at the University of Otago graduating with a double degree in Laws and Finance, Sam began his career at ANZ Bank in Auckland where he spent the next seven years. Throughout his time at ANZ, Sam worked across the Agriculture, Corporate and most recently the Institutional business unit as part of the bank’s Research and Analysis team. Here he prepared industry research and completed credit analysis for some of New Zealand’s largest listed entities.
The opportunity to work for Origin Capital Partners provided Sam with the chance to move back to the Bay of Plenty, where he grew up.
Andrew Livingston
General Manager, Kiwifruit
Andrew was born and bred on a sheep and beef farm outside of Te Awamutu and has a longstanding background in agriculture and horticulture.
After gaining a degree in Agriculture and Agribusiness at Massey University, Andrew entered banking as a rural manager with the National Bank in Canterbury and Otago. Andrew then spent time in the UK, working for BNY Mellon and JP Morgan in corporate banking and hedge fund administration.
Andrew served as a grower experience manager for Eastpack, a Bay of Plenty post-harvest business, working with large kiwifruit and avocado growers. He then progressed to regional manager for Eastpack covering the Te Puke and Tauranga regions.
Andrew is now based in the Bay of Plenty as general manager of kiwifruit. He oversees all on-orchard operations of all Funds managed by Origin Capital Partners.
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