Leadership

Barry joined Diplomat in 2018. He is a highly experienced leader with success in strategic business development, mergers and acquisitions, and stakeholder engagement. Barry has had experience with Lion Nathan Limited, Coca-Cola Amatil NZ Limited, and Goodman Fielder, and was awarded the Prime Minister’s Business Scholarship in 2015. He completed the Advanced Management Program at Columbia University in New York City, and holds an MBA from Massey University.

Russell joined Diplomat in 2018, with many years of experience as a CFO with companies such as Davis Food Ingredients, Repco and Hansell’s, as well as a senior commercial role at Goodman Fielder. Russell holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Canterbury and is qualified Chartered Account, he is an expert in commercial financing.

Fiona joined Diplomat NZ in 2017 as Human Resources Manager. Fiona has worked for a number of high performing businesses including a premium airline and global recruitment company in various customer focused and human resource roles.

Mark joined Diplomat in 2017. He started his career in Philips Lighting where he was Supply Chain Team Leader for 8 years. Mark holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Auckland.

Marty joined Diplomat in 2016. He started his career at Progressive Enterprises before moving to Dublin, Ireland where he managed several hospitality businesses over a 16-year period. Marty’s role includes the management of the field sales team and merchandising support.

Armand joined Diplomat in 2015 as a Financial Analyst in South Africa. Armand relocated to Diplomat New Zealand and establish the analysis function. After gaining experience as a Commercial Finance Manager, he took up the role as Business Development Manager for Diplomat, establishing brands such as Lotus and Duracell. His current role is focused on business growth through mergers and acquisitions.

Dave joined Diplomat in 2018. He has many years of experience within senior sales roles in the FMCG industry. Dave holds a Bachelor of Business from Massey University with a double major in Marketing and Information Systems.

Eleni joined Diplomat in 2024 as the National Field Sales Manager. She has over 30 years of experience in the FMCG industry, having worked with some iconic food and beverage companies across New Zealand, Australia, and Switzerland in sales, marketing, strategy, and business development.

Tommy has joined Diplomat in 2019 as a KAM for WWNZ. He has started his career in Countdown working in-stores for 3 years and further developed his career path into WWNZ head office in the Merchandising department. He has lead majority of the Health & Beauty categories but his core categories were Men’s grooming/Deodorant & Sunscreen categories.

Derek joined Diplomat in 2022 and is an innovative, driven, and dynamic senior leader. He has over 20 years of experience in the FMCG industry, with an extensive career in leading marketing, sales, and consumer engagement strategy for iconic brands within the FMCG sector across New Zealand and Australia.

Jonathon joined Diplomat in 2020. He has worked in multiple roles in the FMCG industry, covering Marketing, Sales and Supply Chain. Jonathon joined the Diplomat NZ leadership team in 2024

Alex joined Diplomat in 2019 working in Key Account roles across Foodstuffs North Island and later WWNZ. Prior to Diplomat, Alex had worked across Route roles for The Griffin’s Food Company and Frucor Suntory.