Richard Allen, Fonterra’s president of global ingredients, has been appointed as the co-op’s new CEO. The announcement comes less than a month since the co-op revealed Miles Hurrell was to step down after eight years in charge.
Allen is a Fonterra veteran with 18 years under his belt. He has served in several global roles, including president of the Atlantic region and vice-president of foodservice.
He has also led Fonterra’s retail and farmer-facing support arm, Farm Source, and was founding CEO of MyMilk, the co-op’s programme that offers farmers a pathway to supply limited milk volumes without becoming Fonterra members.
Allen will officially become CEO on May 1, 2026, with Hurrell staying on in an advisory role until September.
Commenting on his appointment, Allen said: “I’ve built my career with Fonterra and understand the important role the Co-op plays both for farmers here in New Zealand and our customers around the world.
“I’m committed to maintaining the momentum in our performance, focused delivery of strategy and financial discipline that has been developed over recent years.
“Fonterra has a strong platform to build from and I’m excited by our prospects as we move forward as a New Zealand farmer owned global B2B dairy provider.”
Fonterra chair Peter McBride described Allen as someone “passionate about out co-operative” who will lead the organisation into “the next phase of its strategic implementation”.
