Team

Ross is Leaft’s CEO. He joined Maury and John in 2019.

An engineer, he has designed some of the world’s largest food factories, including infant formula plants in China, and led installation teams at GEA, the global food processing technology company, in China and Europe.

Chris is Leaft’s CFO.

His career spans investment banking, commercial roles in food and fibre businesses, and venture capital, with extensive experience in capital raising, commercial and project finance.

Maury co-founded Leaft Foods with her husband, John Penno, and is an Executive Director of the company.

Before Leaft, she held a range of senior executive roles at Fonterra, the world’s largest dairy exporter, and spent eight years at Boston Consulting Group. The idea that became Leaft began in 2016, in an executive education classroom at Stanford University.

John co-founded Leaft Foods with Maury Leyland and is an Executive Director of the company.

He built Synlait Milk from start-up to an NZX-listed company with a valuation of more than $1b. He holds a PhD in Agricultural Science.