Mr John Brakenridge, of Ohoka, CNZM, for services to the New Zealand food and fibre sectors and the merino industry
Mr John Brakenridge was Co-Founder and Chief Executive of The New Zealand Merino Company (NZM) and its predecessor organisations, bringing more than $500 million in additional value to farmers and brand partners. Under his leadership, NZM collaborated with wool growers to disrupt traditional industry thinking and systems-based business models. He created a collaborative systems approach for New Zealand fibre with brands such as Icebreaker, Loro Piana, Reda, Allbirds, IKEA, Smartwool and NIKKE. He launched the Brakenridge Impact Group, supporting world-leading businesses as they seek out their own aspirations. Mr Brakenridge founded Te Hono, a collaboration between the leaders of the New Zealand food and fibre sector companies, iwi and government into a partnership with Stanford University, to shift New Zealand from a volume to value producer and marketer of products.