Intangible Asset Manager
Zespri International
Heidi is the Intangible Asset Manager at Zespri International Limited, based in New Zealand. Zespri is the world’s largest marketer of kiwifruit, selling in more than 50 countries. Heidi manages the global portfolio of intangible assets for Zespri, from creation through to protection, commercialisation, maintenance, and enforcement. Although Plant Breeders’ Rights form a significant part of the portfolio, Heidi leverages a broad set of assets to optimise value including Trade Marks, Data, Trade secrets, and Regulatory approvals. Heidi has extensive experience with the protection and enforcement of Plant Breeders’ Rights globally, particularly in China following unauthorised propagation and sale of fruit from Zespri’s proprietary cultivar marketed as Zespri SunGold™.
With broad experience in New Zealand’s primary industry sector and having completed a Masters of Commercialisation and Entrepreneurship at the University of Auckland, Heidi is passionate about leveraging multiple commercialisation approaches to provide strategic value. She contributed to the submissions and workshops to improve New Zealand’s PVR legislation, which resulted in the PVR Act 2022, a positive step forward to encourage plant breeding innovation.