Dr. John Penno

Dr. John Penno is a Board Appointed Director of Synlait Milk Limited and Synlait Milk Finance Limited. He had previously been a Director of Synlait Limited, which has since been removed from the Register of Companies. When first appointed to the Board of Synlait Milk Limited, John was CEO and Managing Director. In November 2018, following stepping down as CEO, he became the Board Appointed Director. In May 2021 John became Interim CEO following the resignation of then CEO Leon Clement. The Board determined that Dr. John Penno was the best person to act as Chair once Grant Watson took up the CEO role in January 2022. As a result of John's long history with the company, the Board considered that Dr. John Penno was not an Independent Director under the NZX Listing Rules. To manage the fact that Dr. John Penno was not an Independent Director, the Board sought to change the Constitution to enable the Chair to be either an Independent Director or the Board Appointed Director at the Annual Meeting on 1 December 2021. The resolution was passed by shareholders and John remains the Board Appointed Director. John stood down as Chair at the 2022 Annual Meeting and resumed his role as a Board Appointed Director. Dr. John Penno is a Director and Shareholder of Synlait Milk Limited and Synlait Milk Finance Limited. He is also a Director of Okuora Farms Limited and Director and Shareholder of Okuora Holdings Limited (and through Okuora Holdings Limited, shareholder in Pastoral Robotics Limited and The Pure Food Co Limited, shareholder in Signum Holdings Limited and creditor of it and its subsidiaries). He is Chair and Shareholder of Wangapeka River Hops Limited and The Pure Food Co Limited. He is a Director and Shareholder of Leaft Foods Limited, Thorndale Dairies Limited, and The New Zealand Merino Company Limited. He is a Trustee of John Penno Trust. Through Signum Holdings Limited, he is a shareholder in TCL Holdings Limited (previously Trust Codes Limited) and Cloud Computing Continuation Services Limited. He receives Directors' Fees from Synlait Milk Limited at approved rate, has insurance cover arranged by Synlait Milk Limited, and a Deed of Indemnity and Access from Synlait Milk Limited.

Education

Agricultural Science degree, PhD in animal science