Page 66 - Food & Drink magazine June 2021

REAR VIEW
We ask industry leaders
five questions about
their working life. As he prepares5to leave the company, Lion CEO
Stuart Irvine reflects on his career.
The fast
1TELL US ABOUT YOUR in new businesses in the USA CURRENT ROLE. and UK in craft beer and craft
I was appointed Chief spirits in Australia; and become
Executive Officer of Lion a focused integrated adult
when you are dealing with complex decisions.
So my learning has been to create an environment where all input can be heard across, through and outside the organisation (often the great ideas/insights are at the edge) and then make sure that I have the quiet space to create a plan for myself and with my team, that can help move us forward in simple steps.
WHAT WOULD YOU
TELL YOUR 25-YEAR- OLD SELF?
Study the philosophy of how to lead a good life and start living it. Time is shorter than you think.
5
That would be a goal I want to achieve, not just with Lion but for the drinks industry and in facttheworldingeneral. ✷
✷ ADVERTISER LIST
A S Harrison 25 Aerofloat Australia 51
AMS Instrumentation
& Calibration 21
Aqseptence Group 31
Australasian Medical
& Scientific 52
Australis Engineering 49 BOC 63 Brenntag Australia 55 Burkert Fluid
Control Systems 67 Combilift Group 27 Esko Australia 50 Graintec Scientific 61 HACCP 41 Hally Labels 57 Heat and Control 13 HMPS 45 IMCD 2 ITW Zip-Pak Australia 6 LAPP Australia 11 Matthews Australasia 9 MTA Australasia 7 MTI Qualos 29 Oterra 17 Precision Stainless Systems 43
in January 2013. Lion is a leading beverages company in Australasia with fast-growing operations in the US and UK.
We produce, market, sell and distribute alcoholic
and non-alcoholic drinks and operate microbreweries worldwide. We employ about 4500 people across Australia, New Zealand, the US and UK.
We’re motivated by a mission to bring people together to be sociable and live well: exceptional drops, trusted brands, vibrant venues and innovative new products, with our products right at the centre of life’s sociable moments.
We do this while striving to be a force for good for people and the planet.
We have introduced new consumer focused frameworks for growth; built a new data and technology capability; invested
beverage business with the sale of Lion Dairy and Drinks.
Meanwhile, we took great steps in building strong foundations for making Lion a more inclusive organisation to work in, setting gender diversity targets, closing the gender pay gap and embedding our Reconciliation Action Plan.
We also had a major focus on sustainability in going carbon neutral, setting aggressive future carbon reduction targets and committing to a circular economy and recycling.
We achieved all of this and navigated COVID-19 and cyber attacks. So I would say having the privilege to lead the teams of people who did all of this has been the biggest achievement.
There are nearly always more things in play than you think
4
2
WHAT IS YOUR
3
37 68 39 44
GREATEST CAREER ACHIEVEMENT TO DATE? The last three to four years at Lion have been an incredible journey of transformation.
WHAT WAS YOUR
BIGGEST MISTAKE AND WHAT DID YOU LEARN?
In general, I think my biggest mistakes came when I hadn’t appreciated the total system that was in play, fast enough or well enough.
Front Cover 56
WHAT IS ONE GOAL
YOU STILL WANT
TO ACHIEVE?
At Lion you really see the power of sociability in making people’s lives better, but the more that you look at it you realise that to make the world a better place, that sociability has to include all humans, not just your tribe.
Result Group
Robotic Automation
Rollex Australia
Roxset Australia
SEW-Eurodrive
Saraya Australia
Savannah Bio Systems 47 Thermaflo Limited 33 Theta Technologies 59
66 | Food&Drink business | June 2021 | www.foodanddrinkbusiness.com.au