THE Foodservice Suppliers Association Australia and New Zealand (FSAA&NZ), a membership-based association that represents suppliers to the foodservice industry, has appointed Vince Crawley as its new executive director.
Terry Randall, FSAA&NZ president, says that the association is pleased by the appointment and has high hopes for Vince.
“The FSAA&NZ needed an executive director that knew the foodservice industry inside out. Coming from a strong foodservice background, Vince is undoubtedly the right person for the job.”
Vince, whose previous roles have included General Manager of Chef’s Pride, General Manager Business Development at Patties Foods and Business Development Director at Goodman Fielder Foodservice, is excited about the challenges presented by the new role and believes he can do a lot for the FSAA&NZ as executive director.
“The FSAA&NZ is an innovative association that links all categories of foodservice suppliers together to provide them with a credible, unified voice. Although the organisation is already well established, I believe that by working hard and focusing on the vision of the FSAA&NZ, there is still a great deal that can be achieved.
“My primary aim is to increase membership numbers and raise the profile of the FSAA&NZ. I believe that by ensuring the FSAA&NZ is running programs that meet the needs of its members, more businesses will realise it is an association they can’t afford not to be a member of.”
The FSAA&NZ is already known amongst foodservice suppliers as an association that organises valuable networking opportunities; Vince plans to further develop these.
“I want to run activities that allow members to gain insightful industry knowledge while making contacts who will be helpful to their businesses. I believe there is a demand for industry seminars with guest speakers as well as other activities that provide members with the opportunity to network and discuss industry issues.
“I also want to increase the presence of the bi-annual Foodservice Australia Expo. All activities and expos help keep members abreast with the constantly changing foodservice industry. This is good for foodservice suppliers as they can better tailor products and services to meet industry needs; it’s also good for the foodservice industry as they will have more targeted goods coming their way.”
Another key reason why organisations join the FSAA&NZ is because it provides them with business support and advice. As executive director, Vince is keen to make sure that members realise the association is approachable and will help members however it can.
“It is only by working with members and the wider foodservice industry that the FSAA&NZ will be able to achieve its aim of being the leading service organization in the foodservice industry. We are first and foremost a membership-based association; by keeping the interests of FSAA&NZ members at the forefront of all actions, the association will continue to flourish.”