Terry Copeland has been appointed chief executive of New Zealand Young Farmers.
Mr Copeland's background includes management, sales and marketing, supply chain management, tertiary teaching, journalism and being a brand ambassador.
His latest post was with Treasury Wine Estates, the second largest wine company globally. He led the export strategy and the supply chain team for four years.
Originally from Auckland, Mr Copeland now lives in Christchurch, and he replaces Richard Fitzgerald, who has stepped down after 12 years.
Mr Copeland, from a farming background, appreciated the ''rural ethic of honest hard work and not shying away from the harder decisions life throws us''.
Once starting work on October 1, he planned to ''meet and engage with as many people within the broader NZYF family, and reach out to our industry partners. This means getting around the countryside and soaking up the vast knowledge and experience and listen to what people think.''
''To have credibility it will take some time for me to really understand the agriculture sector, where we fit, and what we can do to improve the pathways for young people to seek agriculture as their first choice career direction,'' he said.
Married with four children, he has a postgraduate commerce and management diploma from the NZ Institute of Corporate Managers, in association with and Lincoln University.