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Former dairy executive Theo Spierings passes away
Theo Spierings, former CEO of Fonterra and previously a top manager at FrieslandCampina, passed away last Saturday. His own company, The Purpose Factory, reports that this happened after a short period of illness. The memorial service at his passing will take place in private.
Spierings (60) started his long dairy career at Friesland Foods. At the time of the merger with Campina in 2009, he was acting CEO of the former company and also of the merged company. After the completion of the merger, Spierings left. Cees 't Hart was appointed as the new CEO, who had no history with either cooperative company. Spierings became CEO of the New Zealand-based Fonterra in 2011 and embarked on an ambitious expansion path.
In 2018, Fonterra and Spierings parted ways. He returned to the Netherlands and founded The Purpose Factory, a company that focuses on serious global issues, such as hunger relief, albeit less in the limelight. In 2022, Spierings seemed to briefly return to a more prominent role. He was appointed as interim CEO at the then struggling ForFarmers, for a maximum of one year. Spierings had well-defined plans on how to get the company back on track, but various unforeseen personal circumstances disrupted the plans. Spierings later refocused on his work at The Purpose Company, where he concentrated on hunger relief worldwide.
Spierings can be characterized as a remarkable and enterprising individual who could think big. This propelled him far in his career, which had both highs and lows.
