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Catherine Rusby has been named as the Food and Beverage Programme Manager for Business Hawke’s Bay.

Catherine is the part owner of the award winning boutique food producer, The NZ Damson Company, and has most recently worked for Hawke’s Bay winery, Trinity Hill, in sales, marketing and logistics roles. She has also been a member of the Hawke’s Bay Farmers Market Committee for 12 months in 2010-2011. Before settling in Hawke’s Bay in 2008, Catherine held strategic roles with insurance firm IAG, in Wellington and Sydney.

Business Hawke’s Bay CEO Susan White said Catherine brought a relevant mix of expertise and experience to the role.

“Having worked across a range of industries and with an MBA, Catherine has a strong strategic perspective, which is complemented with her project management, relationship management, marketing and sales expertise.  Her experience at The NZ Damson Company where she contributed to brand development and today continues as a director, and also at Trinity Hill where she worked in marketing and customer management roles, provides her with strong empathy for the F&B sector.  With previous involvement in Food Hawke’s Bay she is also well networked in the local industry.  I think she will be great in this role.”

Catherine said she was looking forward to getting amongst the local food and beverage industry participants and understanding where the opportunities and obstacles lay.

“I am looking forward to working with other stakeholders in the food and beverage space, sharing our collective knowledge to develop and implement a collaborative strategy which supports the growth of food and beverage businesses in Hawke’s Bay.”