Meet some of our talented team across New Zealand

Kim Calvert Country Manager

I joined Cottonsoft in early 2011 to recruit and develop a Sales and Marketing team for the future before becoming Country Manager at the start of 2012.

I commenced my career with Woolworths and worked in Christchurch, Otago (including WW Andy Bay- across the road from where Cottonsoft is today), Taranaki, Wellington and Auckland Support Office. Since leaving WW, I have worked in senior sales roles in Weston Foods, Colgate Palmolive & Villa Maria Estate.

I believe that a company succeeds through great people working together. Cottonsoft has a proud history of local people providing fantastic products, tailored to and mostly converted in our local markets and that is where our focus is; running our Dunedin and Auckland facilities and providing our product to Kiwis.

Chris Batchelor Dunedin Site Manager

I have been with Cottonsoft for 10 years in various roles commencing as National Logistics Manager in August 2003. Prior to Cottonsoft I spent time in the Transport, Print and Primary sector.

My personal philosophy on life and on working is all about balance and perspective; we only get one opportunity to live this life so we must do the best that we possibly can everyday for family, work and oneself.

One thing that I enjoy about coming to work each day is that it is never boring, something different presents itself most days. The Operations Team is a critical link in the Cottonsoft chain, they either make or source everything that we sell. Each person in the team has an important part to play.

Helen Hargreaves-Judd Human Resources Manager

I joined Cottonsoft in 2016 having moved to NZ from the UK and with a background in manufacturing I knew I wanted to remain in FMCG. I was delighted to join the Exec Team and haven’t looked back.

Cottonsoft is all about our people, not only keeping them safe everyday but also engaged, motivated and ready for the next challenge. We work hard on developing our people, creating opportunities and nurturing newly recruited talent.

I work at Cottonsoft because of our amazing people … because of the wellbeing programmes we run to look after mental and physical health, because of the fun we always have and the awesome products we make.

Joe Bolton Head of Sales and Marketing

Joe joined Cottonsoft in July 2015, having recently managed the transition of Stuart Alexander (NZ) to their new partner and shareholder.

Joe has an extensive background in senior FMCG roles for over 20 years, including Country Manager – Stuart Alexander, GM – Momentum Brands and GM Sales – George Weston Baking. Earlier in his career, Joe held roles with major FMCG companies such as Tegel, Hansells, Arnotts and Frucor; originally starting as a Sales Merchandiser for ENZA and working his way into more senior roles through his FMCG career.

Evan Fitzpatrick Head of Finance

I am delighted to have started with Cottonsoft in June 2016. Previously I have worked in the FMCG (George Weston), new vehicle (Nissan) and paper (Reclaim) industries. In my career I have gained a breadth of experience that includes numerous system implementations, the formation of a finance function and a company merger, I look forward to adding to this at Cottonsoft.

We spend a lot of our time at work so it needs to be a satisfying and rewarding part of our lives. I like to work in an environment that encourages teamwork, collaboration, achievement, continuous improvement and where we can have fun every day. It is also important that we are safe at work every day so I am pleased that Cottonsoft has a zero harm goal for our people.

Cottonsoft is a well regarded NZ brand and I am committed to contributing to its ongoing success by making it a great company to do business with and a great company to work for.