Birchwood Team
Meet the team
Birchwood Grower Nominees
Birchwood Grower Nominees (BGN) Commmittee, are a Limited Liability Company that growers contract with to supply their fruit to Zespri. BGN then negotiates with Birchwood Packhouse for the provision of packing, cooling, inventory management, financial management and other services. The main role of BGN is to ensure the fair distribution of pool funds to growers in a transparent manner.
BGN Committee: Hugh Topp – Chairman, Jim Cooper, Beat Wisler, Bobette Tanner, Jane Wordley, Sonu Singh, Roanne Crone, Robert Knyvett, Grant Luscombe & Geraldine Jaques.
Board of Directors
Birchwood has a board of 7 directors who provide an impressive combined knowledge of the kiwifruit industry. The board is required to be made up of one independent director, two directors from our investor shareholder DMS and four directors elected from grower shareholders. Joel Murphy is the independent Chairman. Working alongside him are growers, Jane Wordley, Dave Tanner and Scott Diggelmann, and from DMS Craig Greenlees and Derek Masters.
Below are the members that make up our wonderful team
Adrian Osterman
General Manager
Adrian is an experienced General Manager with extensive industry knowledge built over years of hands-on leadership. Known for a practical, results-driven approach, he combines strategic insight with a deep understanding of operations, people, and market dynamics. His experience enables him to guide teams effectively, drive continuous improvement, and deliver sustainable outcomes for Birchwood.
Aaron Bowyer
Orchard Techincal Advisor
Aaron sets a high standard with everything he does. He is extremely organised and manages to make doing ten things at once look easy. Aaron is always looking to learn more, and takes every opportunity to expand his kiwifruit knowledge and skills.
Natalie Russell
Systems Manager
Natalie takes a practical and organized approach to keeping our food safety, phytosanitary, and compliance programs on track. Her attention to detail and commitment ensure we meet every standard with confidence.
Linda Beachen
Office Manager
Linda is our our helpdesk for health and safety. She’s focused on helping people stay safe and do well at work, keeping safety practical rather than just paperwork. She enjoys connecting people with the right roles and making the workplace better day to day.
Grant Bradley
Packhouse Manager
After nearly 20 years of service with the New Zealand Police, I ran my own business for eight years before moving into people and resource management roles, including over 12 years in the kiwifruit industry. I bring extensive experience in leadership, operations, and team development.
Bridgette Lewis
Grower Services
Bridgette is an energetic and caring rural specialist with 30+ years of experience across horticulture, post-harvest kiwifruit operations. Bridgette is passionate about supporting growers and through accurate technical advice, relationship-driven service, providing practical solutions that meet growers’ requirements.
Angela Sinclair
EDI Manager
Angela brings over 20 years of hands-on experience in the kiwifruit and avocado industries, with a strong foundation in Electronic Data Interchange (EDI). In recent years, she’s expanded her focus to inventory and allocation—streamlining production flow with precision, care, and a genuine passion for getting things right.