Frucor Suntory Oceania, a manufacturer of energy drinks in Australia and New Zealand, has appointed Ian Roberts as chief supply chain officer.
Roberts has been selected to oversee Suntory’s trans-Tasman supply chain, which includes commercial activities in Wiri, New Zealand, as well as a $400 million manufacturing and distribution facility under construction in Ipswich, Queensland.
This net-zero facility, which will be operational in mid-2024, will hire approximately 160 people to service its multi-beverage mandate.
Over the course of his career, Roberts held a variety of top supply chain director positions at Lion for more than 20 years and served as the executive general manager of retail at packaging company Visy.
As the company’s chief supply chain and technical director, Roberts was a key player in the transformation of its supply chain process.
Frucor Suntory Oceania CEO Darren Fullerton has expressed delight at Robert’s recruitment.
“We are thrilled to welcome Ian to Suntory. His extensive experience in leading supply chain transformation and his unwavering commitment to safety, quality, and continuous improvement perfectly align with our values and the Yatte Minahare spirit that drives our global Suntory business,” Fullerton stated.
Ian’s hiring comes in the wake of the recent news that Frucor Suntory and Beam Suntory will collaborate to form the $3 billion multi-beverage conglomerate known as “Suntory Oceania.”
The two Suntory companies will partner to form the fourth-largest beverage group in the area, with complete end-to-end control over its manufacturing, sales, and distribution operations.
The collaboration is expected to begin operations in Australia and New Zealand in mid-2025 and 2026, respectively.
Roberts commented on his new role saying “Frucor Suntory has experienced an incredible growth trajectory and with the future Suntory Oceania partnership ahead of us, I am excited to join the business during this critical period of transformation,”
“Together, we will work towards building a world-class supply chain that will deliver exceptional results for our multi-beverage portfolio in Oceania,” he noted.
Roberts will be based in Sydney and will be a vital part of the Oceania Leadership Team.
Jon Sackree, former chief supply chain officer, left Frucor Suntory earlier this year after ten years of dedicated service.
