Zespri Americas announced that Jason Donaldson, operations manager for the Americas, died unexpectedly March 22 while on a business trip overseas. He was 46.

“We are devastated by the unexpected passing of a great colleague and friend,” said Ben Hughes, general manager-Americas. “Jason brought a contagious energy and enthusiasm to work each day and was liked and admired by everyone that worked with him. Most importantly, Jason was a devoted husband and very proud father who was very involved in his kids’ lives.”

Mr. Donaldson had a very successful career in the food industry. He was recruited to be the operations manager for Zespri Americas where he formed a talented team and made a step change in the capability of Zespri operations function in the region. Prior to joining Zespri, he spent over 20 years in operations management in a variety of food and beverage categories ranging from carbonated beverages to sushi.

Mr. Donaldsonis survived by his wife, Melinda, and their three children, Jake (13), Jenna (11) and Hank (7). Donations to help the family can be made at the GoFundMe page.