Mark McHardy wins Cooperative Leader of the Year Award

16 th August 2016

Mark McHardy wins Cooperative Leader of the Year Award

Cooperative Business New Zealand has announced Farmlands Fuel General Manager, Mark McHardy, as the winner of the Cooperative Leader of the Year Award for 2015/16.

The award honours an individual who has shown significant co-operative leadership, commitment and support of well recognised and accepted co-operative principles. They also need to display vision and courage for the co-operative model, along with demonstrate successful initiatives that have benefited their co-operative or the co-operative sector.

Cooperative Business New Zealand CEO, Craig Presland, says that Mark was the stand out nominee for this award.

“His business’ successes as General Manager of Farmlands Fuel have been based in strong co-operative principles such as leveraging the collective buying power of the group, displaying a strong vision and determination in ensuring full health and safety compliance, implementing systems and procedures that have ensured the efficient and sustainable supply of fuel and leading the long-term survival and growth of Farmlands’ fuel business,” he says.

Farmlands Co-operative CEO, Peter Reidie says Mark has been at the forefront of growth for Farmlands Fuel for the past 10 years and has shown decisive leadership around the expansion and delivery of the Farmlands Fuel business to Farmlands’ shareholder customers and the wider rural New Zealand community, along with offering innovative solutions throughout the fuel and lubricant sector.

“Mark has contributed to not only the success of Farmlands Fuel but also Farmlands Co-operative as a whole, as a key member of the executive team that now guides New Zealand’s largest rural supplies co-operative,” he says.

“Mark has excellent focus on customer service, has implemented a leading environmental awareness plan and has been a champion in the health and safety arena, not only within Farmlands but in the wider fuel industry. This is a big challenge when you are responsible for more than 45 fuel tankers on the road every day. He is focused on keeping people and the environment safe and working to the Farmlands motto – work safe, home safe, every day. All this is complemented by the latest delivery technology being utilised through our delivery fleet under his guidance, ensuring farmers get their fuel on time.”

Mark has a strong affinity to rural New Zealand. He comes from a dairy farm in the North Island and completed a Diploma in Horticultural Management at Lincoln University, before working in the grain and agricultural chemical industries.

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