Meeting the challenge of changing attitudes and behaviours in a dyed-in-the-wool industry, has earned John Brakenridge the respect of New Zealand farmers and fine wool retailers worldwide.
The chief executive of The New Zealand Merino Company since it began in 1994, John has helped to grow new categories for nature’s performance fibre – merino wool – while developing new high-end markets, and changing the way the wool moves along the value chain.
Where once, merino farmers sold their wool at auction, John helped to convince them to adopt a collaborative model, establishing direct contracts between the growers and the retail brand partners. The result: a $115 million per year turnover, that generates between $10 million to $15 million annually in additional value for New Zealand merino growers.
But taking up the concept was not without its knots. There was initial “pushback” from the established supply chain, but the growers and newcomer brands, like New Zealand merino clothing label Icebreaker, were ready to embrace it.
“The key word throughout it all is ‘culture’. It’s probably one of those misunderstood words, and we are continuing to understand it more. Culture is key – it’s an alignment of people, an alignment of interests, and that brings about certain behaviours that make a difference for everyone collectively,” John says.
“The growers recognised that change was necessary, and today, it’s on-going. When you are growing a natural fibre in a very extensive manner and you’re up against cotton and synthetics, which are getting more efficient, it’s a tough order.”
His aptitude for staying one step ahead saw him introduce a world-first in the fibre industry – the Zque™ brand. Zque™ is an “ethical wool”, combining natural performance with an accreditation programme ensuring environmental, social and economic sustainability, animal welfare and traceability back to the source.
John, who holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Canterbury, became involved in the wool industry around the same time as his brother Brian – a merino farmer in the remote Pelorus Sounds – teamed up with Jeremy Moon to develop Icebreaker.
Always interested in the primary sector, John worked in the horticulture industry previously – most notably as international marketing manager for fruit and vegetable processor, Cedenco Foods.
“I’ve worked in different environments where there have been highly-driven passionate leaders, and to me that is the essence of it. The culture starts at the top – if the CEO comes in every day, fizzing and excited, it filters through the whole organisation. You can’t imitate it, you either have that passion or you don’t.”
With The New Zealand Merino Company, John has taken a lot of motivation from building relationships to “make a difference”.
“You’re working with hundreds of growers, who are passionate about what they are doing and very good at what they do. Then all of a sudden there’s an opportunity for them to engage with the retail brands now selling their wool, and that’s fantastic. You see the lift they get from it. You talk to the companies, like Smartwool, and frankly they have a very similar passion,” he says.
“For me, it’s about aligning those groups. Compare that to other industries, where you might make some money for the company, but you’re probably not getting the satisfaction of aligning interests and potentially making a difference within sectors, like the rural sector.”
John is also passionate about marketing merino to the world, and is developing a concentrated campaign with brand partners to appeal to psychographic markets.
“Instead of trying to grow markets in isolated silos, we need a ‘co-opetition’ working where we align the interests of a number of brands to try to grow markets around certain types of consumers. Instead of trying to conquer the world, you pick off a part of San Francisco, New York or London, go in there with a number of brand partners and do a concentrated marketing campaign,” he says.
On the production side, his plan is to invest in enabling more farmers to grow multi-purpose sheep that can meet the ongoing demand for fibre, and generate more income streams, from meat, lanolin and leather. There are about 800 growers in NZM today, but room for many more.
“The future is saying, how can we take this model, make it even better, and use it as an exemplar that we can engage with broader sectors within the New Zealand primary sector,” John says.
John’s skills were recently recognised by the government, through his appointment to both the Wool Task Force and the Investment Advisory Panel of the Primary Growth Partnership.
Judges’ commendation
“John has taken real steps to revolutionise the primary industry and give it some hope for the future. It is a testament to his leadership style that he has taken the merino industry with him on this remarkable journey of transformation. He has done so with genuine passion for New Zealand and its economic wellbeing. John is larger than life and has a truly inspirational presence and vision for the country.”
For more information contact:
New Zealand Trade and Enterprise
Anna McIntyre, phone +64 4 816 8317, email anna.mcintyre@nzte.govt.nz
