David Newton started with Paradise Company in 2019 when Paradise Company acquired Laga Industries. Prior to joining the Paradise Company family, David was the General Manager for Laga Industries.
The acquisition of Laga industries saw David transition into a Group role as Group Operations Manager, an addition to the new Executive Leadership Team for the Group. The new role saw David shift from Laga General Management to a four-site operational management. As Group Operations Manager, David oversees the operations across the Port Moresby and Lae sites for both companies.
Speaking on the transition, David described it as challenging and demanding but also spoke passionately about the rewards, primarily around the development of his team.
“Group Operations Manager was a bigger role in terms of people responsibility – going from one manufacturing site and a depot to three manufacturing sites and a depot” David explained.
Despite the role being demanding, David spoke highly of the development of the operation’s department teams. From the growth and development of the Research and Development (R&D) teams in aiming for a Standard of Excellence in R&D to the recruitment of the company’s first national plant site manager under its nationalization plan.
While David spoke highly of his team, his own investments in the operations department through the implementation of several initiatives also highlight the value he brought to the role.
David has implemented several initiatives aimed at increasing efficiency within operations. He spoke in detail of the initiative of creating continuous improvement projects in each of the departments and the introduction of the Food Trades initiative in 2021.
Although Laga Industries has always had a special place in his heart, David is very passionate about his group role and his responsibility to both Paradise Foods and Laga Industries. The pandemic presented some hurdles for Paradise Foods and Laga, but David is confident in his team – that they are capable of taking things ahead.
