Paul Fitzgerald
Freemans Bay,AUK
Summary
Highly experienced senior executive with over 20 years of strategic, commercial, and leadership strengths in the Consumer Goods sector. History of revitalizing established businesses and establishing new ones. Currently serving as the General Manager of The Better Drinks Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Asahi Beverages NZ. Also CEO of Lumaten Limited, a Shopper Marketing research and strategy company. Extensive consulting experience working with Private Equity and startup businesses across Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, and Japan. With 21 years in the Coca-Cola system, including 14 years as a General Manager leading teams in Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. Skilled in sales, marketing, supply chain management, finance, and HR. Demonstrated track record of generating sustainable value growth in every role. Proven leadership strengths in consistently building staff engagement and fostering a results-focused culture. Experienced in successfully establishing and integrating new businesses through a focus on processes and culture. Strong strategic capabilities in leading businesses across different geographies and categories, as well as entering new categories. Expert in stakeholder management with a background in managing franchisee, multiple JV partner, and distribution partner relationships. Proficient in complex commercial, tender bid, and M&A negotiations.
Overview
31
31
years of professional experience
Work History
General Manager
The Better Drinks Company
06.2022 - Current
- Responsible for the running all aspects of The Better Drinks Company with full P&L accountability
- Member of the Asahi Beverages NZ executive team
- Employed to develop a strategy to return The Better Drinks Company to growth
- Presented full strategy to board in December 2022 encompassing marketing and product portfolio, supply chain, sales and route to market changes
- Approval received and moved to execution in 2023
- Achievements:
- Significantly increased investments in marketing and selling resources
- Establishment of a customer value proposition as a driver of our sales processes
- Establishment of core sales processes including segmentation, core range, picture of success, capability building and alignment of KPI’s to quarterly incentive targets
- Portfolio rationalisation exiting negative EBIT brands
- Launch of high EBIT NPD
- Establishment of commercial function to build revenue growth management capabilities and category and commercial tools
- Evaluation of supply chain with focus on design to value principles
- Focus on culture improving engagement from 73 to 87 in 2024
- Managed a diverse team of professionals, fostering a positive work environment and high employee satisfaction.
- Developed and implemented strategies to increase sales and profitability.
- Cultivated strong relationships with clients, vendors, and partners to ensure long-term success and loyalty.
- Monitored financial performance, set budgets and controlled expenses to provide financial stability and long-term organizational growth.
- Managed budget development, forecasting, and financial reporting processes to track progress towards organizational objectives accurately.
- Drove year-over-year business growth while leading operations, strategic vision, and long-range planning.
- Implemented operational strategies and effectively built customer and employee loyalty.
CEO
Lumaten Limited
10.2017 - 05.2022
- A start up business that utilises Virtual Reality combined with the latest developments on the psychology of shopper behaviour
- We derive the world’s most comprehensive insights into the drivers of in store behaviour
- These insights are then translated into shopper strategies aimed at meeting hard supplier metrics of sales, share, margin
- Testing is done in the virtual world to provide proof of concept and strategy refinement before execution in the real world
- Achievements:
- Seed round raise of NZ$400k
- Series A raise of NZ$1.5m
- Post money valuation of NZ$6million
- Developed strategic marketing frameworks that guide interpretation of VR based research results:
- Developed the commercial framework for the deployment of SHOPPER360 tool:
- Premium service deployed in a competitive market
- Margin expansion over 6 years
- Able to retain operational savings by pricing to market rather than taking a cost-plus approach to pricing
- Developed operational processes for delivery of complex projects:
- Completed research and strategic marketing projects for Coca-Cola, Arnott’s, Villa Maria, Kellogg’s, Bulla Dairy, Shiseido, Dai Nippon Packaging, George Weston Foods, PepsiCo Australia, T&G, Asahi Beverages NZ and Meat and Livestock Australia
- Left the business as a going concern with profit recorded in financial year 2024
Principal
Sliding Doors Consulting Pty Ltd
04.2016 - 10.2017
- Providing business, commercial and operational strategic advice to consumer goods organisations in the Asia Pacific region
- Engagements in Australia, Malaysia, Japan and New Zealand focussing on operational excellence and supply chain management within the vending and FMCG sector
General Manager, South Pacific
The Coca-Cola Company (TCCC)
02.2015 - 04.2016
- Member of South Pacific Leadership Team with full P&L accountability for South Pacific Business Unit (SPBU): Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands (includes Fiji, New Caledonia, Samoa, French Polynesia)
- Led strategy and managed franchise bottling arrangements within the Territory, ensuring growth targets were met and Franchisee organisations’ core capabilities were improved by importing global best practice
- I ensured the Marketing, Corporate Affairs and Technical plans were sufficient to deliver SPBU goals
- Results:
- SPBU returned to growth with volume and value share gains across all regions
- In 2015
- Australia recorded highest sales volume since 2012
- New Zealand recorded the highest sales growth since 2003
- Pacific Islands delivered fourth year of consecutive growth and record sales
- Transactions grew faster than volume and household penetration increased in Australia and New Zealand, resulting in more people consuming our products in smaller quantities more often
- Achievements:
- Redefining operating model to focus on growth by establishing new routines; longer planning horizons and new short feedback cycles that allow course correction; and establishing a stronger cross-system collaborative relationship
- Establishing an SPBU-focused Commercial and Customer team that develops system wide commercial strategy and capability in:
- Revenue growth management
- Moved revenue growth focus from top line price increases to opportunities to drive growth through product, customer and channel mix
- E-Commerce, establishing SPBU as the lead BU for the Coca-Cola Company’s global strategy
- Shopper marketing that includes redefining end-to-end processes across Consumer and Trade marketing and across the system, incorporating CCA’s Customer Management teams
- Establishing key execution metrics that allow global benchmarking and identification of process improvement opportunities within route to market
General Manager, Oceania
The Coca-Cola Company (TCCC)
01.2011 - 01.2015
- Member of South Pacific Leadership Team with full P&L accountability for Oceania region: New Zealand and the Pacific Islands
- Led strategy and managed franchise bottling arrangements within the Territory, ensuring growth targets were met, compliance with quality systems was achieved and bottling organisations’ core capabilities were improved by importing global best practice
- Led the Marketing, Customer and Commercial, Technical, Finance and Corporate Affairs Teams in the region
- Results:
- Reversed five-year volume CAGR of -2.6% by returning region to growth in 2013
- Stabilised share decline
- Achieved or exceeded PBT targets
- Achievements:
- Changed franchise relationship to put TCCC in a strategic leadership position and established a stronger long term strategic platform that resulted in:
- Full review of the Occasion, Brand, Pack, Price, Channel (OBPPC) framework to identify consumer, volume, and revenue growth opportunities:
- New immediate consumption (small pack) architecture: delivered 11.3% transaction growth and 2.6% volume growth, reversing ten years of decline
- New multi pack can architecture: led to transaction growth (8.5%) and household penetration growth (+3.4% ppts), reversing five years of decline
- Cross-system review of category performance that drove the introduction of a results driven culture for category teams built around a whole of business view, greater empowerment, and information transparency
- Resulted in:
- Energy: +40% scan growth and +5 share point and improved system profitability
- Juice: +37% scan growth, +7 share point gain and improved profitability
- Established long range plan that identified key profit pools and rights to win in each category
- Led the external stakeholder engagement agenda that included regular meetings with politicians, public health advisors, educators, advocates, and detractors
- Included various media engagement across TV, radio, and print
- Negotiated renewal of franchise territories for New Caledonia and Samoa, including commitment to long term targets
- Won the Restaurant Brands business (KFC, Pizza Hut and Carls Jnr) – one of the first global markets to transition from Pepsi Cola to Coca-Cola
Director, Licensed Division
Coca-Cola Amatil (CCA)
11.2006 - 12.2010
- Led start up business supporting CCA’s entry into alcohol, Challenge was to operate successfully in a new industry with stronger competitors, wary customers and an alcohol product portfolio that did not carry the brand strength of Coca-Cola
- Full line and P&L accountability for Licensed SBU
- Responsible for stakeholder management of Pacific Beverages, Beam and TCCC
- Member of CCA Australia Executive Team
- Results:
- Alcohol generated:
- 5% of total CCA Aust EBIT growth in 2007 (8.5% excluding start-up costs)
- 17% of total CCA Aust EBIT growth in 2008
- 11% of total CCA Aust EBIT growth in 2009
- CCA Licensed total EBIT growth vs prior year (2007 base year):
- 2008 +5.4% (HL -4%, HZ +15%)
- 2009 +12.4%
- Grew beer volume from base year (2006) of 28.4K Hectolitres (HL) to 265k HL (110% 3-year CAGR)
- Improved staff engagement from 45% at integration (April ‘07) to 64% in Sept ‘09
- Achievements:
- Established new CCA Licensed Division by integrating Maxxium business into newly created CCA Licensed Division, creating SBU of 340 employees
- Established new supply chain capabilities that incorporated high value single bottle spirits delivery, returnable kegs processes, integration of a direct store delivery model with wholesale DC model to fulfil single sales orders
- Implemented comprehensive capability and cultural development program to build alcohol capability and a challenger mindset
- Renegotiated spirits agreement with Beam after implementation of new ARTD government excise regime that led to category decline of 30%
- New agreement allowed CCA to realise board case earnings despite significant Beam volume decline
- Integrated Bluetongue (beer) acquisition and substantially grew beer business, leading to construction of new brewery
- Developed customer management capability by moving relationships with trade from suspicion/rejection to overt support for CCA’s desire to become a third force in beer and category partners in spirits and ARTDs
- Developed multi-portfolio pitch process that led to the award of successful tenders where the “must stock” brands within each portfolio were leveraged to the benefit of the whole portfolio
- Won major beer tenders against Lion and Fosters (later CUB)
- Won major liquor tenders against Diageo
- Won major soft drink tenders against Pepsi/Schweppes
- Expanded and invigorated alcohol portfolio by successfully launching new brands
- Led significant capital reinvestment plan in NARTD on-premise sector, moving from traditional lows of 2% capex to NSR ratios to 7% capex to NSR ratio in 2010; this led to reinvigoration of brand Coca-Cola and improved customer engagement, resulting in vertical growth and new business acquisition
- Negotiated new 10-year agreement with Beam Global that forms the basis for CCA’s alcohol earnings stream until 2021
- Agreement moved relationship from an agency model to a distributor model
Commercial Director, Australia
CCA Aus
03.2005 - 10.2006
- Head of strategy and lead for 3-year strategic plan and annual business plan process
- Stakeholder management of TCCC
- Led the CCA Brand management team (Deep Spring, Kirks, Mt Franklin), Fresh Juice team (Goulburn Valley) and New Product Development (NPD) team
- Established category marketing function within CCA
- Member of CCA Australia Executive Team
- Achievements:
- Acquisition of Crusta Juices (South Australian fresh juice business), integration of business into CCA sales business
- Establishment of Cold Chain delivery capabilities allowing ambient and chilled fulfilment from single sales order
- Rebranding of Crusta Juices to Goulburn Valley Juice
- Introduction of new packaging to support rebrand
- Implemented new NPD and commercialisation process, leading to successful launch of Coca-Cola Zero, Powerade Isotonic, Pump flavoured water and Mother energy drink
- Implemented more transparent approach to working with TCCC around marketing spend management, brand management, plan alignment, concentrate price negotiations and NPD
General Manager, Sales & Supply Chain
CCANZ
02.2001 - 02.2005
- Led sales, trade marketing, commercial/channel management and contact centre
- Member of NZ Executive Team
- Role expanded in 2004 to include responsibility for Sales and Operational Planning (S&OP) and Warehouse and Distribution
- Results:
- Before I took the role: 1996-2000 Volume CAGR +0.6%, Revenue CAGR +4.5%, EBIT CAGR +15.2%
- 2001-2004 Volume CAGR +7.5%, Revenue CAGR +11.8%, EBIT CAGR +16.4%
- Improved employee engagement from 62 in 2000 to 71 in 2004
- Achievements:
- Review of supply chain within CCANZ that led to the development of an automated warehouse and distribution centre at the Mount Wellington site
- This included a review of cross docking operations across the country, development and presentation of capex for $NZ70m to board and land swap negotiations with Auckland council
National Business Manager, Convenience & Leisure
Coca-Cola Amatil New Zealand (CCANZ)
11.1998 - 08.2000
- National Business Manager, Vending
- State Manager, Vending, South Australia
- Strategy Manager, Vending, Australia and New Zealand
- Senior Management Accountant
- PRE 1994: VARIOUS FINANCE ROLES BEFORE JOINING COCA-COLA AMATIL
State Manager, Vending, South Australia
Coca-Cola Amatil Australia (CCA)
07.1994 - 11.1998
- Strategy Manager, Vending, Australia and New Zealand
- Senior Management Accountant
- PRE 1994: VARIOUS FINANCE ROLES BEFORE JOINING COCA-COLA AMATIL
Education
MBA -
Graduate School of Business, Sydney University
01.1996
AICD Company Directors Course - undefined
01.2016
BBus - undefined
University of Technology, Sydney
01.1989
Skills
- Leadership and team building
- Problem resolution
- Operations management
- Team player
Accomplishments
Winner of Baker Mckenzie prize for most outstanding MBA student.
Hobbies and Interests
Member of Tour de Cure charity cycling team which has raised over $60m since 2007 to fund research, awareness, and support., Road cycling, Mountain biking, Kayaking, SCUBA diving., Non-Executive Director, Bicycle NSW. December 2016 – December 2018
Awards
Awarded prize for being the most outstanding MBA student at the Graduate School of Business, The University of Sydney.
Timeline
General Manager
The Better Drinks Company
06.2022 - Current
CEO
Lumaten Limited
10.2017 - 05.2022
Principal
Sliding Doors Consulting Pty Ltd
04.2016 - 10.2017
General Manager, South Pacific
The Coca-Cola Company (TCCC)
02.2015 - 04.2016
General Manager, Oceania
The Coca-Cola Company (TCCC)
01.2011 - 01.2015
Director, Licensed Division
Coca-Cola Amatil (CCA)
11.2006 - 12.2010
Commercial Director, Australia
CCA Aus
03.2005 - 10.2006
General Manager, Sales & Supply Chain
CCANZ
02.2001 - 02.2005
National Business Manager, Convenience & Leisure
Coca-Cola Amatil New Zealand (CCANZ)
11.1998 - 08.2000
State Manager, Vending, South Australia
Coca-Cola Amatil Australia (CCA)
07.1994 - 11.1998
AICD Company Directors Course - undefined
BBus - undefined
University of Technology, Sydney
MBA -
Graduate School of Business, Sydney University
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