Mr. David Thorrold BMus (Hons), DipAcc, CA (Chief Executive Officer) has 17 years’ experience in accounting, finance and management. He began his accountancy career in Hamilton Chartered Accountancy firm Beattie Rickman where he worked for four years. In his last year there, David was recognised by the New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants for achieving one of the top five results nationally in the Final Qualifying Professional Examinations for that year.

David then worked for a period on project assignments in London for Deutsche Bank, Bankers Trust and the BBC. He then spent five years as Managing Director of a UK based software company. On returning to New Zealand David spent two years as a consultant, again with Beattie Rickman (now PriceWaterhouseCoopers), working particularly with early stage technology and Agri-tech companies. David joined BioVittoria in January 2006, and has subsequently developed an extensive network of contacts in the US and European food and beverage industries while leading the commercialisation effort for Fruit-Sweetness™.
 

Mr. Paul Paslaski (Vice President Sales and Marketing) has 25 years experience as an innovator in sales and marketing, principally in the health and nutrition product category. For the last six years he has had directly relevant experience as Market Development Director for Cargill – Health and Nutrition, developing brand strategies for a number of branded ingredients in the health and wellness space, the most recent of these being Truvia®, a Rebiana based natural, zero-calorie sweetener. In this role, Paul consulted with CPG business partners on collaborative marketing programs and support, including Coke/Minute Maid, Wyeth, General Mills, ConAgra, Kraft Foods, Kroger, Dreyers, Blue Bunny, Smucker’s, Welch’s, Nestle, Safeway, CVS, Walgreens, Pepsi, Hain Foods, Walmart, and Bayer.

Paul has developed consumer value propositions for many new health products including antioxidant vitamins, Omega 3, phytosterols, soy protein and chondroitin sulfate. Paul was Senior Marketing Manager for Roche Vitamins’ Food Business Unit, responsible for new business development in the emerging functional foods/nutraceutical market.
 

Mr. Lan Fusheng Bsc (CEO and President, BioGFS). The Chinese Government has recognised Mr Lan Fusheng as their national expert in monk fruit production. During his service at the Guangxi Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences from 1983 to 1999, he organised and managed more than 20 research projects. Mr Lan also worked in New Zealand for one year and in France for two years. Mr Lan has received around 20 different awards from Guangxi Institute of Botany, Guangxi Academy of Science, Guangxi Department of Science and Technology, The Government of Guilin, The Government of Guangxi, and the Departments of the Central Government of China. Mr Lan has published over 60 publications in peer reviewed scientific journals. As the main founder, Mr Lan has also served as President and general manager of Guilin Yaozhen Horticultural Sci. & Tech. Co. Ltd and President of Guilin Dadi Agricultural Biotechnology Institution (BioDadi), both companies directing research and development of monk fruit. In 2004, he founded BioGFS with Dr Garth Smith and Stephen LeFebvre and is the President and CEO of BioGFS.
 

Dr. Garth Smith MSc (Hons), PhD, DSc (Vice President, BioGFS) is a co-founder of the company and was previously General Manager Bioactives and Biomedical for HortResearch New Zealand, where he led a team of 150 scientists. Garth has gained international recognition for research and development of high value horticultural and botanical products and functional foods. He has published over 200 articles in peer reviewed scientific journals and contributed chapters to six books on plant science.

Garth is regarded as one of the pioneers in the New Zealand kiwifruit industry and was a key figure in developing the industry during the intense scale-up of the 1980s and 1990s. To this day the New Zealand kiwifruit industry retains a deserved reputation as a world leader in innovation and quality and much of this reputation can be traced back to work done by Garth and research teams which he directed or was a member of.

Garth was a founding board member of Innovation Park in Hamilton, New Zealand and B2H (Business to Hamilton). In 1996 Garth was asked by the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade to lead a project based in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, to restructure 120 state owned research institutes. The recommendations from this project have been implemented by the Government of Mongolia. A similar project was also carried out in Indonesia. Over the past 18 years he has developed an extensive network in China, especially within the Chinese medicinal plant industry which he continues to develop during his continuing presence in that country.
 

Mr. Danny Wai Yen, B.Com CA (Chief Financial Officer) joined Biovittoria in October 2011, bringing with him more than 20 years of senior financial management experience. Danny was the General Manager, Finance for Tatua Co-operative Dairy Company in Waikato before taking up an expatriate position as the China Controller with Kimberly-Clark Corporation in Beijing in 2001. He has held CFO roles with other major corporations and joint ventures with investments in China until he returned to New Zealand in 2011. With good knowledge and understanding of the European as well as Asian business environments, Danny is fluent in English, Mandarin, Malay and Cantonese.

Danny earned his Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Canterbury and is a CharteredAccountant (CA) under the Institute of Chartered Accountants of New Zealand.