Kate Smith Email & Phone Number

Christchurch, Nz

Canterbury, New Zealand

Trade Aid is a not for profit organisation that began in 1973 & champions fair trade & sustainability in Aotearoa. Trade Aid’s mission is to improve the lives of farmers & producers from some of the poorest countries in the world. As of January 2024 Trade Aid had 24 retail stores nationwide & had established itself as a successful homeware/gift/clothing wholesaler, manufacturer of a range of Trade Aid branded fair trade & organic chocolate, tea & hot chocolate products, a range of ambient food products & held the majority market share for the fair trade segment of coffee in New Zealand (importing, wholesaling & selling in retail).Responsibilities: • Leadership - Leadership team member & Marketing (Brand & Digital) & Education team lead.• Strategy & Organisational Change - In 2024 co-led the design of Trade Aid 2.0 (strategy & organisational structure) to make Trade Aid viable for the future. This decision included the major decision to shut the 24 retail stores & cease production of chocolate & focus on food & coffee (supply chain, wholesaling & online).o Planning - This process included financial analysis, organisational resource planning & stakeholder engagement from the Trade Aid Importers Board. o Implementation - Communication lead on executing the new organisational structure, responsibilities involved:▪ Internal communication: written communication to wider organisational stake holders, developed staff engagement programme to keep staff motivated to deliver the financial result required to ensure its future viability. ▪ External communication: Led public relations campaign for the announcement that Trade Aid is to progressively close all stores, identifying key areas of PR risk & PR risk management plan, managed all national and local media. • Direct reports - Marketing: Digital Marketing Specialist, Marketing Manager and a Graphic Designer. Education: Education Manager.

Auckland, New Zealand

Global Endeavours Group is a New Zealand owned food and beverage business. It has a substantial portfolio of FMCG brands in categories such as: soft drinks (Indian Tonic mixer and Kombucha range), plant based milks, cooking oils and a broad range alcohol brands in the wine, spirits and RTDs categories.Responsibilities: • Leadership - Leadership team member & led the Marketing teams. • Strategy – Set the strategic direction for the liquor and non alcoholic beverage businesses. • Agency & Sponsorship Lead - negotiated and managed agency relationships sponsorships such as: The BluesRugby RTD sponsorship, Six60 Tour RTD sponsorship, William Waiirua LIAISE vodka RTD launch and the Stolen Girlfriend’s Club x Batched Espresso Martini launch. • New Product Development lead - Lead product development & brand team to take products from brand concepts to brand positioning to liquid development to market launch. • Export - Co-led export pitches into Australia, USA and Japan. • Direct reports: Head of Digital, Brand Manager, Junior Brand Manager, Graphic Designer. Achievements: • Gained CEO & Board buy in to move away from a sales lead approach to a brand focused strategy to drive sustainable long term growth. Results:o A 60% growth in sales for alcohol (gross profit FY21 vs FY22, internal data). This resulted in an increased average gross margin from 13% to 18% (FY21 vs FY22, internal data). This was achieved with a $300,000 budget.o By introducing a framework of focus brands increased Batched Premium Cocktails by 450% (internal sales FY20 vs FY22). Took Batched from Batched Espresso Martini to a range of premium shake’n pour cocktails & a lower alcohol can range. Batched Premium Cocktails is the market leader in the premium cocktail category.o Launched the Alchemy & Tonic, the first contemporary New Zealand Indian Tonic range. o Secured ranging of Batched Premium Cocktails into Dan Murphys into Australia.

Auckland

Responsibilities: - Portfolio management of vodka RTD brands Vodka Cruiser, KGB & the launch of Long Whit Vodka.Achievements: • Launched Long White Vodka (worth $56 million November 2019), today Long White Vodka remains the #1 brand in category. o Gained leadership buy in to for a $1.5 million spend into the launch of Long White Vodka, this compared to a $50,000 maximum investment for previous launches.o Launched in 2014 Long White Vodka was the first natural vodka RTD that revolutionised the category through its better for you credentials which pulled category rejectors back in. Long White Vodka premiumised the category, driving the vodka category to become the biggest in RTDs, as it still is today.o The Long White Vodka launch involved a huge ATL & BTL campaign, the main driver of success was the sampling programme designed to get young affluent females to reconsider vodka RTDs. The sampling programme targeted young affluent females by reaching them in their world e.g., sampling at Laneway Festival, Electric Ave sampling, Moochi partnership, Remix Magazine parties, Waiheke ferry sampling, liquor store sampling. This was layered with ATL awareness activity.o Within the first year of launch Long White Vodka achieved 15% of category (scan data value sales04/11/2015), it was the most successful Independent Liquor alcohol product launch in the last 15 years.o Long White Vodka remains the #1 profit driver for Asahi across RTDs, beer, wine & spirits & the #1 vodka RTD brand.• Vodka Cruiser – through repositioning the brand (new packaging, new creative platform, more relevant flavours) & driving sales engagement drove Vodka Cruiser from a of -18% in April 2014 to accelerated growth, up +11% (scan data value sales 5/8/2018).

Auckland, New Zealand

Responsibilities:· Managed Heineken’s digital & music platforms - as a global brand Heineken has a high level of brand awareness but less of a connection that local brands with consumers. Music & digital platforms are key tools to creating this connection.Achievements· Launch of the Heineken Live Websiteo Initially, Heineken controlled international media assets resulting in lack of relevance with NZ consumers, through key international stakeholder management secured special global brand approval to launch a NZ specific Heineken website to drive local engagement and brand loyalty.o Increased the number of Heineken Live subscribers from 9,000 members to 27,000 members (March 2014 vs LY) contributing to a 17% uplift in volume sales (ex factory data March 2014 vs LY).· Heineken Music PlatformThrough successful local events and relationship management with Vector Arena and George FM Heineken’s “music association” Colmar Brunton brand measure grew from 15% to 24% (February 2014 vs LY), cementing the position as the brand leader in this space.

Auckland, New Zealand