The global Pink Lady® team is growing, strengthening the organisation’s capabilities with new resources and support on the ground in key markets.
In recent months, Pink Lady® has made key appointments in Singapore, New Zealand, and the Americas, bolstering initiatives and activities and deepening the organisation’s commitment to driving sustainable brand growth. Please join us in welcoming the new members of the Pink Lady® team.
Shilpi Khurana – Head of Marketing, Pink Lady®
Shilpi Khurana joins the Pink Lady® team in Singapore, bringing 19 years’ of international marketing experience in consumer packaged goods to Pink Lady®.
Shilpi arrives at Pink Lady® with rich experience in packaged foods and FMCG, having held various brand and commercial roles at Dole Packaged Foods and Ferrero SpA. Her experience combines regional in-market strategic business expertise and global brand development across multiple geographies, including APAC, South Asia, North and Central America, and the UK.
Shilpi will focus on strengthening the Pink Lady® brand’s connection with local consumers, implementing impactful marketing programs to drive brand awareness and development, and accelerating brand innovation.
Agustin Cmet – Business Development Manager, Pink Lady® North America
Based in Southern California, California, Agustin brings to Pink Lady® broad skills and experience shaped by 15 years working in US Domestic Fresh Produce and the International Food Industry.
Agustin will further strengthen the delivery of the Pink Lady® brand value to licensees who export to or from the North American territory, growing share and category value in the US and Canada.
Connecting licensed Pink Lady® exporters from Chile, Argentina, Brazil, New Zealand and South Africa with the right importers and retailers within North America, Agustin will also identify meaningful opportunities for North American exporters to become suppliers of choice to Pink Lady® Managed Markets in Asia, the Gulf and LATAM.
Before joining Pink Lady®, Agustin ran his own sales consultancy, specialising in developing domestic and export sales for fresh and valued-added products in retail, food service, and industrial markets. Amongst the companies served are Pacific Northwest Packers, Sai World Pty Ltd and Meena Farms. Prior to this, Agustin was responsible for creating export programs of value-added berry products outside the United States at Naturipe.
Sophie Griffith – Global Brand Manager, Pink Lady® & New Zealand County Manager
A familiar face in the Pink Lady® network, Sophie Griffith deepens her connection to the Pink Lady® brand, transitioning to a new role that leverages both her New Zealand expertise and brand strategy experience.
Sophie has been associated with Pink Lady® since 2017, holding the role of Executive Officer for the New Zealand Pink Lady Growers Association (NZPLGA) and working on global brand projects for Pink Lady® since 2020. With the transfer of the Nieuw-Zeeland Master License to APAL, Sophie has stepped into a new dual role as Country Manager for New Zealand and Global Brand Manager for Pink Lady®.
Sophie has over 12 years of experience in brand and business management, working in account and business director roles in Wellington advertising agencies and various contract roles in the private and public sectors, before moving to Hawke’s Bay in early 2017.
As Global Brand Manager, Sophie has taken over responsibility for development of the global brand strategy and assets for Pink Lady® and will be supporting the global network to bring the brand to life across regions in a localised and culturally relevant way. Sophie is working closely with Shilpi Khurana, Head of Marketing for Pink Lady® , to develop the brand’s positioning strategy in the emerging markets.
Alongside managing the Pink Lady® trademark in NZ, Sophie is also responsible for developing and implementing the New Zealand business plan and will work in close collaboration with the New Zealand supply base to ensure a strong connection and alignment of supply and demand. Sophie will also represent the New Zealand Pink Lady® growers, packers and exporters in the respective global forums.
Steph Russell – Pink Lady® Quality Programme Manager New Zealand
With over 20 years’ experience in horticulture, Steph Russell has joined Pink Lady® as New Zealand Quality Programme Manager, championing packhouse licensing, quality control and day-to-day support for the New Zealand production base.
Steph has transitioned to Pink Lady® from the NZPLGA, where she was employed on a part-time basis since early in 2023. Before joining NZPLGA, Steph has held various technical and quality positions within the NZ industry.
Steph brings to Pink Lady® enormous knowledge and expertise in production and assurance. Steph’s role will be to manage and implement the packhouse licensing and quality control programs for Pink Lady® in New Zealand while protecting the Pink Lady® brand intellectual property, overseeing packhouse export and domestic sales volumes reporting, as well as leading the packhouse licensing and quality control programs. Supporting Sophie Griffith, Steph will play a pivotal role in ensuring the New Zealand Pink Lady® supply chain is engaged and informed regarding the Pink Lady® brand’s stringent quality specifications, ensuring compliance in the market with these specifications.
