Motion Strengthens Leadership Team With New Board And Advisory Appointment
The announcement comes as FTN wraps up its first production run of the new Streetdog80 for customers here in Aotearoa. With most bikes nearly out the door, the team is now gearing up to start building in June for its first Australian deliveries.
Board Appointments Reinforce Operational Capability
Jamie France, formerly an advisor to FTN, has joined the company's Board of Directors. France was an early Rocket Lab employee and served as Global Launch Director for the Electron rocket program, leading a team of over 300 engineers and technicians across New Zealand and the U.S.
FTN co-founder Luke Sinclair said France brings valuable experience in building operational structure during periods of growth.
'Jamie has helped build complex operations from the ground up,' said Sinclair. 'We're not chasing hyper-scale - we're focused on building a well-run, efficient company that can deliver consistently to customers across New Zealand and Australia. Jamie understands how to get that right.'
Also joining the Board is Jenny Cresswell, the former Head of Strategy and Chief Financial Officer at Hyundai Motors New Zealand. Cresswell's commercial and financial leadership adds depth to FTN's governance as the company works to refine its operations and long-term planning.
Advisory Board Welcomes New Voice in Urban Mobility
FTN's Advisory Board has also welcomed Mariko Mura Davidson, a product leader with 15 years of experience at the intersection of transport innovation and go-to-market strategy. She currently holds a senior role at Wombi, a U.S.-based e-bike subscription company, and has previously led product initiatives at Ford Motor Company and Microsoft, where she focused on launching technologies that improve urban mobility and reduce environmental impact.
Mariko's go-to-market expertise is exactly what we need as we begin selling in Australia,' said Sinclair. 'She brings a sharp understanding of how to position and scale innovative products in new markets. Her experience will be instrumental in establishing the Streetdog as a smart, sustainable choice for urban commuters across New Zealand and Australia.
Davidson joins existing advisor Roland Krueger, former CEO of Dyson, who has been working with FTN over the past year. With prior leadership roles at BMW and Infiniti, Krueger brings a strong design and product mindset to the table. Based part-time in New Zealand, he had been following FTN's journey before joining as an advisor.
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If it's a global issue, how can places like Costco sell cheaper butter than anywhere else? The question, Harvey says, gets complex when we try to do price comparisons across different geographies. 'There's nuance around the retail structure in each market and there's variability in the category itself,' he says, adding that there are 'excluding mechanisms' that could be at play. For example, some retailers could be buying on contract for a period of time, thus locking into a certain price for longer. West Auckland wholesaler Costco has put purchase limits on its Kirkland Signature butter, restricting customers to 30 blocks at a time. Photo / Grace Xin Yin Wu 'You're never going to get them all to line up and agree on a price, but the reality is consumers in all geographies are paying more for butter.' What other items on supermarket shelves could be set to spike in price? Rabobank's Harvey says products like cocoa and coffee beans are 'commodities to watch' because, among other factors, there are current shortages that could affect pricing. Canola oil is going through a similar cycle, he says. What can the Government do about this? Not much, apparently. Willis met with Fonterra chief Miles Hurrell this afternoon about the dairy giant's pricing model. As a result, Hurrell will publicly explain the different components of the price of butter, which Willis said will come later in the week. Willis did say the Fonterra CEO blamed supermarkets for prices being quite as high as they are. When asked whether anything raised in the meeting would lead to lower prices, Willis said, 'All roads lead back to supermarket competition. 'What Miles acknowledged, and what every New Zealander can see, is that supermarkets make choices about what margin they charge for butter. Now this is at the margin, it is a small proportion of the overall price that you pay, between 5% and 10% of the overall price shared between Fonterra and the retailer. 'What is clear is that different retailers make different decisions about what margins they charge,' Willis said. Speaking to the Herald before the meeting, Harvey said there's 'not much the Government can do' in the short term as the Beehive is largely unable to influence global pricing. There are some players along the supply chain who can have an impact, though. 'Retailers will look to trade down where they can. They are very mindful of this,' Harvey says, adding that we should expect to see more 'promotional activity' that customers can take advantage of. In summary Butter is expensive right now, but it's probably going to get worse before it gets better – and there isn't much anyone can do about it. That's good if you sell butter (or the raw ingredients used in production). For those who buy it as part of their weekly shop, it's something that's a lot harder to swallow.
