City manager award finalist

Press, 1 June 1985, Page 21

City manager award finalist

Sue Suckling, of Christchurch, is one of the six finalists for the SperryMore Business Woman of the Year Award. Mrs Suckling is the manager of the Christchurchbased Pacific Foods, Ltd, a joint venture between Waitaki NZR, Ltd, and H. Noelke and Company of West Germany. The company was formed to process sheepmeats into consumer products, using German technology and New Zealand raw materials and marketing expertise. The partnership was formed in December, 1983, and Mrs Suckling was appointed project manager in February, 1984. At this stage the project was just an idea with a variety of product options for a number of world markets. A year later, the project became a commercial success. To date $1.5 million has been invested and a “Zealambi” range of four further processed Halal sheepmeat products is being sold in Singapore, Malaysia and New Zealand. Mrs Suckling is qualified in food and bio-technology. Her responsibilities include technological skills transfer, market and product selection, appointment of marketing and distribution agents (including extensive

research into options in each potential market), machinery selection, control of staff and financial budgeting.

The other finalists are:— Ann Harper, general manager of Mogalair, Ltd, and Mogal International, Ltd (Auckland); Stella Stocks, national service manager of Motor Holdings, Ltd (Auckland); Betty Robertson, marketing manager, Bonds (N.Z.), Ltd (Auckland); Yvonne McEwen, national sales manager, Sunbeam (N.Z.), Ltd (Palmerston North); Bridget Williams, managing director, Allen and Unwin New Zealand, Ltd (Wellington). The finalists were chosen from 86 nominations. The winner will be announced at the Sperry-More Business Woman of the Year luncheon in Auckland on July 19. The winner will receive two Air New Zealand Paci-fic-class return tickets to the United Kingdom via the United States. Sperry Systems, Ltd, which is one of the world’s largest computer companies, will host the visitors in the United States. The winner will also receive a Sperry Personal Computer from the company’s newly released PC range.