Executive Director at Prohibition Liquor Co

As General Manager for Prohibition Liquor Co, I am excitedly partnering with the founders to take this amazing product portfolio to the world.Prohibition Liquor Co. has established itself as a key brand at the high-end of the flourishing Australian craft spirit market. Whilst the market is rich, with a variety of boutique gin brands, PLC stands above the rest. With a premium brand position and packaging, we are consistently pushing boundaries and creating innovative products and in-market experiences for consumers to enjoy. Prohibition Liquor Co. is motivated by a desire to produce authentic clandestine hand-crafted spirits of the highest quality. Recognised internationally for the calibre of its products, Prohibition Liquor Co. is driven by a thirst for constant innovation with unique flavour profiles and the world’s finest botanicals as a staple of its range. But Prohibition Liquor Co.’s passion extends beyond its craft product range, to the creation of immersive experiences and events for all spirit-lovers including Tasting Masterclasses and Gin Blending. Whether you’re an aficionado or new to the nuances of craft spirits, Prohibition Liquor Co. is driven by a desire to share its passion and love of hand-crafted premium spirits with all.

Reporting to the Australian Managing Director, this role was created in December 2017 to support the Australian Leadership Team in the evaluation of execution of a number of potential acquisitions.I was either leading or heavily involved with all facets of the acquisitions from commercial due diligence, negotiation, legal documentation, supply chain & taxation considerations.Key Achievements:• Successfully entered a staged, multi-year agreement to jointly acquire a medium sized food & beverage manufacturing business with The Coca-Cola Company;• Designed, negotiated and documented a working support arrangement between The Coca-Cola Company and this business during the period of minority ownership;• Negotiated and documented a commercial distribution arrangement for CCA to be the exclusive distributor of a brand of Kombucha products in Australia;• Detailed and complex due diligence during the period CCA were considering an acquisition of Lion Dairy and Drinks including arrangements with our potential acquisition partners on division and valuation of strategic assets.

In this role, I led the operations and transformation of the Equipment Service division of CCA in Australia (EQS). EQS is a net $95m cost centre with ~350 people across Australia whose purpose was to manage a fleet of 170,000 pieces of beverage and vending equipment including acquisition, refurbishment, repair, movement and eventual equipment retirement. In addition to managing our own fleet of equipment, EQS had a number of commercial agreements for in-field repair and preventative maintenance work for a number of large customer owned equipment fleets, including McDonalds.Key Achievements:• Delivered a 20% net cost saving ahead of timeline with no material impact on service; • Took the safety culture to the next level – behavioural safety vs compliance;• Restructured the core business to align with future strategy;• Divested non-core national 3rd party refrigeration business;• In partnership with Apple and IBM, designed and built bespoke iOS based, front end mobility tool for EQS technicians and delivery drivers;• Chaired the Global Cold Drink Operations Council – comprised of Cold Drink directors from major bottlers globally to share experience and best practise in operations;

The Direct to Consumer division of CCA was comprised on the National Coke Vending business and Neverfail home and office bulk water business. As the NSW State Manager, I was responsible for driving revenue growth and cost out initiatives to deliver budgeted profit growth in the state whilst improving engagement and delivering a zero-harm safety workplace.

The CCA Customer Service division was a conglomeration of 4 national businesses; Equipment Service & Quirks, Neverfail water and Coke Vending. Leading a commercial team of 34 staff, I was responsible for commercial and strategic support and advice to the leadership teams. Using my previous commercial and strategic experience, I contributed significantly to the transformation and growth plans for the group.

As part of the Asia and Business Improvement team, this role was the only CCA group role dedicated to evaluation and execution of potential mergers and acquisitions. In addition to evaluation, due diligence, negotiation and M&A execution, this role also led functional teams in the integration and business case realisation of any acquisitions.

The Transaction Services division provided advice to clients involved in mergers, acquisitions and IPO transactions. The major focus of this team, including myself, was to provide financial due diligence assistance to major Australian and overseas clients. In this role, I worked with a wide range of companies and industries in Asia Pacific.

Joining PwC as a graduate in 2001, the first 2 years were spent in the GRMS Division. In addition to some Internal Audit and risk management assignments, I was involved in the formation of a Business Modelling Solutions group. This group was formed primarily to review complex spreadsheet models used in large merger and acquisition transactions and other complex decision-making applications.