Our people

Paddy has worked in the food and beverage industry for the last 12 years, particularly in the dairy processing and infant formula categories. He started his career with Kerry Group in Ireland, and since then has worked in numerous other dairy companies in Ireland, Australia and more recently based in New Zealand.

Paddy has held numerous leadership positions across operations, technical, and commercial management in recent years. He has extensive experience in capacity planning, leading capital programs to manage growth in the dairy industry, and has technical expertise in developing and supplying premium products to the dairy market globally.

With a distinguished career spanning 18-years in dairy processing, Nathan is proficient in managing large teams and complex processes.
Commencing his career at Fonterra in 2006 Nathan progressed into leadership positions including Proteins Process Manager and later serving as the Powder Process Manager, specialising in nutritional base powders, MPC, and various commodities powders including WMP, SMP, and IWMP.

In 2017, Nathan joined Mataura Valley as Process Manager. With oversight of operational readiness, this involved leading recruitment of the Manufacturing Team, establishing critical procedures, training, and commissioning of the plant. Transitioning into the Manufacturing Manager role and later into Acting GM of Operations, skills demonstrated include effective people leadership, adept problem-solving, facilitation, and extensive dairy knowledge.

In 2021, Nathan moved into the position of Operational Excellence Value Delivery Manager, focusing on crafting and implementing an operational excellence strategy with an emphasis on people development in continuous improvement and value creation. Currently, as the Head of Operations, Nathan’s leadership and expertise ensures exceptional performance across all operational aspects of Mataura Valley Milk.

Sonia is an experienced People and Culture Leader, and is passionate about fostering constructive leadership. She believes in leading by example, creating a positive work environment, and empowering team members to reach their full potential.

As a strategic partner, she contributes to our long-term success by aligning HR initiatives with organisational objectives and believes that a thriving workplace is built on a foundation of engaged and motivated employees. Sonia has a proven track record of collaborating closely with senior leadership teams, aligning HR strategies with business goals, and ensuring that our organisation attracts, retains, and develops top talent.

Tina is a senior finance leader with over 15 years of supply chain and FMCG experience.

Her career has been spent mainly in New Zealand manufacturing environments, having held senior finance roles at Fonterra, Tip Top Ice Cream and Hilton Foods.

Callam has over 20 years of global dairy experience specialising in sales, business development, global sourcing, and supply chain operations. He has managed and led sales teams for Fonterra, Synlait, and now Mataura Valley Milk.

With over half of his career spent leading market sales teams, he has worked in a number of key nutritional and ingredient markets across the USA, Asia, Middle East, Africa, and Oceania. At MVM, Callam heads up our sales and customer service group, along with leading the development of MVM’s commercial strategy and customer partnerships.

Larissa has worked at MVM since we received first milk in 2018 and is a prime example of developing local talent.

Larissa began as a Nutritional Technician in our dispensary, then took on the role of MRP Planner, before becoming our Master Production Scheduler. Today, Larissa is our Planning Manager, leading our warehousing, logistics, and supply & demand planning functions.