Intro
It’s been five years since Phil Spies joined the Maxum team and we’re celebrating this milestone. We caught up with Phil to have a chat about his journey and to talk through some of the highlights during his time in New Zealand working for MaxCare:
Tell us a little bit about yourself
Born and bred in the Western Cape, South Africa. I moved with my young family to New Zealand seven years ago.
I have always had a great love for agriculture, and consider myself lucky to be working in this amazing industry. I am at my happiest when surrounded by friends and family, socialising around a fire outside.
I am married to Johannie, and we have two teenage daughters, Klarabelle and Mieke-Mari. As a family, we love spending time outdoors and doing as much fishing as possible.
Tell us a little bit about your journey at Maxum Foods
I was lucky enough to be the first MaxCare New Zealand employee, and what a cool journey it has been. I have loved every moment of building this wonderful business, alongside everyone else in our awesome team. This year we opened the doors to our own manufacturing facility in Christchurch and this certainly stands out as a highlight for me.
In the last five years, I have been to all corners of NZ (a few times over), seen the most beautiful places and met some remarkably interesting people. I feel so fortunate to be in this position.
What do you actually do at Maxum?
A little bit of everything for MaxCare. I love doing what needs to be done on a daily basis, to ensure we get “stuff” done! My main driver is helping farmers and doing this alongside my passionate fellow team members is an absolute pleasure.
Why MaxCare?
Our values align. We do what we say we are going to do and have fun while doing it. We live and breathe the MaxCare story, which is something that really resonates with me on a personal level. I love working with everyone in the business and I feel like I have found my tribe.
Nicknames: What do they call you in the office?
Big Phil, or Tiny! Go Figure?
What is the best ‘work perk’ at Maxum Foods?
The freedom we have to operate, coupled with amazing support and an incredibly unique team culture, we are very lucky to have what we have here at Maxum.
Do you have a favourite story from the last five years that you would like to share?
Every conference that we get together as a team is awesome. We just have so much fun and often the directors are setting the pace and encourage everyone to let their hair down, which we do well.
If I have to single out one (which is extremely hard indeed), it would have to be last year’s Christmas party where we ended up in a karaoke bar in Brisbane. The singing and dancing was something spectacular (at least we thought so) and I never laughed so much in my lifetime.
What do you get up to when you’re not at work?
As much fishing as possible. I recharge in nature. I love being active outdoors and socialising with family and friends, preferably cooking something on the fire.
Congratulations on 5 years Phil. We are looking forward to many more years with you on the team.
