Page 68 - Food&Drink Magazine November-December 2021

YEAR IN REVIEW
On the move
There might have been a lot of lockdown but there were plenty of people movements in the leadership ranks this year. Here are the highlights.
Salter also worked at General Mills some years ago, starting as a sales representative in the late 1990s and reaching senior brand manager for Old El Paso before heading to the then Fosters Group where he worked on Carlton Draught and Matilda Bay Brewing Company.
GERARD SMITH
FREEDOM FOODS GROUP CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER
Freedom Foods Group CEO Michael Perich said the appointment of Gerard Smith as chief marketing officer was part of the company’s “comprehensive renewal of the senior leadership team”. As CMO Smith will lead marketing, innovation and sustainability. Smith has previously worked for Lion, Goodman Fielder and PepsiCo, where he was vice president marketing Global Snacks Portfolio.
DENIS PHELPS
FREEDOM FOODS GROUP CHIEF CUSTOMER OFFICER
Denis Phelps’ appointment to the new role of chief customer officer was part of the company’s senior leadership overhaul and rebuild.
Phelps will lead customer and category strategies across the group. He brings more than 25 years FMCG experience to the role, having worked for Danone, Unilever and The Clorox Company.
He was most recently country manager for Danone in Cambodia.
JONATHAN MOSS
MRS MAC’S CEO
Iconic pie business Mrs Mac’s announced Jonathan Moss as its new CEO. Moss was most recently group CEO for Frucor Suntory Oceania and has more than three decades of experience in the FMCG industry. Mrs Mac’s chair Peter Fallon said Moss brought “deep sales, marketing and commercial experience to the job, built over a global consumer industry career spanning more than 30 years with more than half of that at CEO level”
BIROL AKDOGAN
MURRAY RIVER ORGANICS CEO
Birol Akdogan was appointed Murray River Organics’ new managing director and CEO following Valentina Tripp’s resignation in January. Akdogan joined MRO in September 2020 as CFO. He has more than 25 years experience in ASX-listed companies with expertise in streamlining business operations.
CHRIS GEORGIOU
MARS WRIGLEY SUPPLY CHAIN DIRECTOR
Mars Wrigley Australia appointed Chris Georgiou as its supply chain director. The company said Georgiou will drive the company’s supply chain transformation and its
commitment to Australian manufacturing. Georgiou’s most recent role was general manager supply at Grill’d, where he was responsible for the supply chain across its 140 restaurants. Prior to that he was head of supply chain Fresh for Coles Supermarkets.
ANDREW REEVES
INGHAMS GROUP CEO
Andrew Reeves stepped into the CEO and managing director role at Inghams Group after the sudden resignation of Jim Leighton, who returned to the US for family reasons.
Reeves was a non-executive director on the Ingham’s board and has four decades of experience in FMCG. Most recently he was CEO of George Weston Foods ANZ from 2011 to 2016. Previous roles included managing director of Lion Dairy & Drinks, Lion Nathan Australia, Coca-Cola Amatil Australia, and The Smith’s Snack Food Company. He had also served as chair and deputy chair of the Australian Food & Grocery Council.
NATALIE SARICH-DAYTON
WESTERN AUSTRALIAN BROWNES DAIRY CEO
Natalie Sarich-Dayton was announced as Brownes Dairy’s first female CEO in its 135-year history. Sarich-Dayton was Brownes’ director of sales and
marketing and takes the helm with more than 20 years’ FMCG experience at companies including Coca-Cola Amatil,
HJ Heinz, Danone and Unilever.
STEVEN CAIL
FOOD REVOLUTION GROUP CEO
The Food Revolution Group (FOD) appointed Steven Cail as its CEO after he joined the company as CFO in March. FOD chair Norman Li said Cail had a “huge impact” on the business in short space of time, which brought his “obvious succession forward”.
“Steven’s commercial and operational ability to drive our growth strategy is exactly what we need in order to lead our success going forward,” Li said.
MATTHEW SALTER
GENERAL MILLS ANZ MANAGING DIRECTOR
General Mills appointed Matthew Salter as its managing director for Australia and New Zealand. Salter returned to Australia after six years with the company in Europe. He has been with General Mills for nine years in a range of marketing and leadership roles. Based in Switzerland since 2015, he was responsible for snacks and ice cream including Nature Valley and Haagen Dazs.
68 | Food&Drink business | November - December 2021 | www.foodanddrinkbusiness.com.au