Maury Leyland is Co-Founder of Leaft Foods, guiding long-term strategy and scaling the Rubisco platform to deliver both commercial impact and environmental improvement. Her career spans Team New Zealand, BCG, and senior executive roles at Fonterra, where she led major strategy and transformation programmes. Known for cutting through complexity and driving high-performance teams, Maury’s work centres on values-driven, globally scalable solutions. She also farms in Canterbury with husband John, developing diversified horticulture-led land use. Maury holds a BE (Hons) and is a Fellow of Engineering NZ.

John Penno is Co-Founder of Leaft Foods and a driving force behind integrating Rubisco protein into modern agricultural and food-production systems. A scientist and entrepreneur, he previously co-founded Synlait Group, leading Synlait Milk from startup through IPO and into a major global dairy ingredients business. His work at Leaft focuses on efficient production systems that reduce environmental impact while scaling high-value food ingredients. John also farms in Canterbury with his wife Maury, developing more diverse and resilient land-use models.

Ross Milne leads Leaft Foods as CEO, driving the commercialisation and scale-up of Rubisco Protein Isolate—from pilot operations to full industrial production. A Chemical and Process Engineer with 20+ years’ experience building complex processing systems across NZ, Europe, and Asia, he brings a rigorous engineering approach to scaling new technology into high-performance food ingredients. Ross is focused on delivering consistent, commercially viable protein solutions that lift farmer value and position New Zealand at the forefront of sustainable food systems.

Chris is Leaft’s CFO, bringing deep experience in corporate finance, investment strategy, and impact-focused capital allocation. He combines a commercial skillset with a commitment to building purpose-led companies that reduce the environmental footprint of food production. Before joining Leaft, Chris worked in Investment Banking at Jarden and later founded Impact Ventures, advising leading New Zealand companies on capital raising, M&A, and strategic growth initiatives. He is a founding partner of the Impact Enterprise Fund, has advised the NEXT Foundation, and was part of the inaugural Edmund Hillary Fellowship cohort.