PMA A-NZ and Produce Plus say they are pleased to announce the return of the Marketer of the Year Award, recognising for the third year outstanding achievement in the marketing of fresh fruit, vegetables and flowers in Australia and/or New Zealand.

The PMA-Produce Plus Marketer of the Year Award 2014 will be presented at the PMA Fresh Connections conference and trade show when it heads to Auckland, New Zealand, for the first time on 24-26 June 2014. 

Lisa Cork (pictured) of Fresh Produce Marketing scooped last year’s Marketer of the Year Award for her work on the Delta Produce ‘Love Kumara’ rebranding project, a campaign to reinvent the kumara, or sweet potato, category in New Zealand.  

The inaugural Marketer of the Year Award in 2012 was won by Sarah McRae from Freshmax NZ for her marketing work on the Mahana Red apple in the domestic market. 

Will another New Zealand-based marketer make it ‘three in a row’ by winning the Marketer of the Year Award on home soil this year? Or will an Australian clinch the accolade for the first time? Get your nominations in today! 

The award is open to any person (individually or as a team member) who has shown excellence in the marketing of fresh fruit, vegetables or flowers in Australia or New Zealand in the past year. 

Nominees can be from any part of the value chain, such as a seed producer marketing their products to growers, a service provider marketing their services to customers, or a retailer marketing its products to consumers – any stakeholder from seed to shelf is eligible. 

"This is a fantastic opportunity for industry members to gain industry-wide recognition, not only for their businesses, but for their personal efforts," said Michael Worthington, CEO of PMA Australia-New Zealand. 

Self-nominations and nominations by third parties are welcome, and must be received by close of business on 11 April 2014. 

Entries can be lodged online at at: http://marketeroftheyearaward.wordpress.com/