Meet some of our talented team across New Zealand

Kim Calvert Country Manager

Kim joined Cottonsoft in 2011 to recruit and develop a Sales and Marketing team for the future. In 2012 he was appointed in to the Country Manager role. Kim leads the Exec Team and works closely with our global ownership; with a focus on sustainable growth in the New Zealand market.

Kim has 35 years’ experience in the FMCG sector. Prior to Cottonsoft, Kim has held roles with Woolworths, George Weston Foods, Colgate Palmolive, and Villa Maria Estate.

Outside of Cottonsoft, Kim is a trustee for ShopCare, an industry safety group. Kim also proudly contributes to the community through his support for Bowel Cancer New Zealand, a charity close to his heart. Additionally, Kim plays competitive badminton, loves getting out on the boat to go fishing, and is known to have a number of projects on the go at home.

Evan Fitzpatrick Head of Finance & IT

In June 2024, Evan re-joined Cottonsoft as our Head of Finance & IT. Previously Evan was with us for just over five years in this same position.

Evan and his Finance team are responsible for Financial Accounting, Management Reporting, Statutory Reporting, and Risk and Compliance. Evan also manages our IT systems to fully support all of our business requirements. The Finance & IT teams strive for accuracy and efficiency to support business plans. Turning data into information and insights is a particular focus.

Evan has extensive experience in the New Zealand FMCG industry, having spent over 12 years within multiple organisations within manufacturing and distributing a variety of consumer products. He has also spent time in various other industries building up a broad base of experience and knowledge.

Evan is a Chartered Accountant (CA) and is a full member of Chartered Accountants of Australia and New Zealand. His qualifications to become a CA started with a Bachelor of Business studies gained from Massey University.

Outside of Cottonsoft, Evan will be playing table tennis, tweaking his home audio systems or camping.

James Dunn Head of Sales & Marketing

James joined Cottonsoft in 2022 as our Head of Sales & Marketing. With his team, James focusses on creating brands that consumers know and love and works closely with our customer partners to ensure that our products are always available whenever and wherever people need them.

James has extensive experience in the New Zealand and UK FMCG industry, having spent 17 years across a variety of sales, category and marketing roles.

After a period of rapid growth, James is focussed on helping the business to transition for the future and is tasked with ensuring that the business continues to deliver long term sustainable growth.

James has a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Marketing Management and Management from the University of Otago and has recently completed an MBA from the University of Auckland.

Outside of Cottonsoft, James is passionate about photography, travelling and any activity that involves being on/below the water.

Rivka Thomas Head of Operations

Following a career in the UK and New Zealand as a Dispensing Optician, Rivka made a career change and joined Cottonsoft in 2013. During this time Rivka has held various roles including Office Manager, National Logistics Manager, Supply Chain Manager, Strategic Operations Project Manager and in October 2024, Rivka was promoted to the role of Head of Operations. In this role, Rivka is responsible for the Health & Safety, S&OP, Supply Chain and Business Transformation teams.

Rivka holds a Bachelor of Business and has Prince2 Agile Project Management qualifications.

Outside of Cottonsoft, Rivka is an active relaxer and enjoys getting out geocaching and exploring/ discovering new places.

Craig Kelly-Taylor Manufacturing Manager

Craig joined Cottonsoft at the start of 2023 as Converting Manager and soon after moved in to the Site Manager role for our Business Parade site. In October 2024, Craig was promoted to the role of Manufacturing Manager for our North Island operations; responsible for leading and developing our manufacturing and engineering functions.

Craig is a degree qualified Engineer with nearly 20 years’ experience in manufacturing, engineering and warehouse management roles; primarily in the medical device industry.

Outside of Cottonsoft, Craig enjoys spending time with his wife and two children. He also has a huge passion for listening to, playing and recording music.

Helen Hargreaves-Judd Human Resources Manager

Helen joined Cottonsoft in 2016 as our Human Resources Manager and heads up the People and Culture function. With her team, Helen focuses on employee engagement, recruitment and retention, learning and development, and compensation and benefits.

Helen holds a Batchelor Honours degree and has over 20 years’ experience working in Human Resources across FMCG and Telecoms industries in the UK and here in New Zealand.

Outside of Cottonsoft Helen enjoys spending time with her husband, two teenage daughters, and dogs.