Executive biographies
Blue Read, chairperson
Elected to the role of chairperson in December 2011, Taranaki dairy farmer Blue Read is an individual associate member of the New Zealand Cooperatives Association.
He was a member of the Fonterra Shareholders Council for nine years, fulfilling the role of deputy chair for four and chair for three of those years.
A member of three other cooperatives as well as Fonterra Cooperative Group – LIC, FMG and Ravensdown – Blue is a strong advocate for cooperative and mutual enterprise and has spoken at a number of international occasions about evolution in cooperatives.
For comments phone 027 235 6212 | to email click here | for a high resolution version of the photo control click (Macintosh) or right click (Windows) here.
Ramsey Margolis, executive director
In the role of Executive Director of the New Zealand Cooperatives Association since November 2006, Ramsey Margolis brought with him a wealth of experience in communications and business development.
His interest in cooperatives began as a child in London when the family’s milk was delivered by the Cooperative Dairy’s electric milk floats.
With a working life moulded in London’s typesetting trade, when technology was reducing the number of jobs in the printing industry in the seventies and eighties, Ramsey helped some of his colleagues set up worker co-ops in the print and the building industries.
In late eighties London, he set up a specialist foreign language typesetting business, Accent On Type. Very successful, this morphed into one of the UK’s premier translation agencies, renaming itself World Accent.
As well as remaining a director of World Accent, until May 2011 Ramsey has served on the Board of Managers of Washington DC-based DotCooperation LLC, sponsor of .coop, the top-level internet domain exclusively for cooperatives.
For seven years a volunteer on the phones at Samaritans of Wellington, Ramsey now serves as a trustee for St Andrews Trust for the study of Religion and Society, and the Aotearoa Buddhist Education Trust.
For comments phone 021 97 35 31 | to email click here | for a high resolution version of the photo control click (Macintosh) or right click (Windows) here.
Photos
For additional high resolution photos, contact the Association office.
Speaking engagements
Ramsey is a well respected and lively speaker, writer and expert on cooperatives in New Zealand, and their global impact.
His talks have been well received by gatherings throughout New Zealand – from Kaitaia in the far north to Mosgiel in the far south. He also speaks at a variety of forums around the world.
If you are interested in having Ramsey speak at your event click here to send your request by email or phone +644 384 4595.
