Brent Newton has had an incredible journey through the Masterpet business. In 1985, then Masterpet Operations Manager, Wayne Wooton, met 16-year-old Brent as he was returning from a serious motorcycle accident, and saw something special. A role was created for the young Brent Newton in Masterpet's Wellington distribution centre, picking, packing and delivering orders, and Brent has been with the business ever since.
Two years after joining, Brent was provided the opportunity to fill in for a Sales Rep and following the advice from then Sales Director, Brent Wooten, to get a haircut, the job became permanently his. Brent has since worked his way up through Masterpet New Zealand, holding positions of South Island Manager, Animates National Account Manager, Vet National Account Manager and now, Channel Manager.
“[It has been] a blast, it’s about grabbing opportunity with both hands, getting outside your comfort zone and having a crack at it, from a broken panel-beater to join Masterpet and end up with the opportunities and responsibilities I have today would have been unthinkable to me when I first joined.”
As Channel Manager, Brent is responsible for the strategic direction of the specialty channel (food and accessories), growing his team of 4 direct reports and their 12 reports, forecasting, promotional programs, internal reporting, range development, and everything else that comes across his desk. Brent values being part of the business's continued expansion and growth of its own brands to be market leaders but the major enjoyment for him is seeing people he has trained and developed over time rise up through the ranks within Masterpet.
