The New Zealand founder of a world-leading supplement company has resigned amid a podcast investigation into his criminal history, and unpaid fines and reparations by his now-defunct firms.
Former Auckland police officer ‘Chris the Kiwi’ Ashenden has won business acclaim in the United States for building his company AG1 into a US$1.2 billion unicorn, on the back of a single green powder of the same name.
It’s regarded as the world leader in social influencer marketing, building an enormous subscriber base with the paid endorsements of stars such as Joe Rogan, Gwyneth Paltrow and Sir Lewis Hamilton.
Ashenden’s failure to divulge his criminal history emerged as part of a wide-ranging podcast investigation into the supplements industry’s lack of science and regulation, and the outsized role of influencers like Rogan and scientist Dr Andrew Huberman, who sources say are paid millions of dollars to promote AG1.
Ashenden’s resignation as chief executive …