As a member of the Executive team reporting directly to the CEO & Managing Director, I lead a team of five Operational Managers, seven Line Managers and Supervisors, and 120 employees in the Operations Division. I am responsible for delivering substantial operational performance outcomes, with 10 per cent year-on-year growth expectations, managing return on investment (ROI) for $40 million in operational assets plus extensive buildings and supply chains.Responsible for spearheading the organisation’s lead supply chain component for the wider business, predominantly the Sales Division, I facilitate availability of products to generate significant domestic and export sales, whilst guiding the wider production, distribution, and transport strategic direction.Notable Achievements• Successfully led a redevelopment project to establish and deliver a $65 million Greenfield site, including $25 million equipment installation; bespoke software integrations from multiple vendors; and the restructuring and resourcing of the Production Team, with the project delivered during Victorian COVID-19 lockdowns.• Ensured a seamless transition from the old facility to the new Greenfield site with minimal business disruption by engaging with local and global business leaders to optimise transition strategies. At present, this includes overseeing the transition from commissioning to service delivery.• Appointed to major steering committees, collaborating with local and global business leaders to define and shape robust project plans, commissioning strategies, and milestone goals for the project.• Recognised for significant involvement in the development and implementation of five major systems, including a new Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, Warehouse Management System (WMS) and other wider systems & technologies.

Leading a workforce of up to 80 team members, I managed the commercial production functions for each of the group’s fresh produce production facilities, spanning sales; procurement; engagement, people and culture; business development; and strategy and best practice development.As a member of the Executive Management Team, I concurrently held a leading position on the new Greenfield redevelopment project, which I continued during my role as the GM Operations.Notable Achievements• Exceeded divisional results during my first year in the role, delivering 18 per cent EBIT above budgeted expectations.• Developed and delivered strategic business plans with significant endorsement from the Board of Directors, recognised for a strong understanding of strategy, business development, and influential presentation skills.• Developed and delivered new business opportunities through promotion, marketing, and networking initiatives to grow the group’s manufacturing network.• Collaborated with senior leaders in the division to drive a transparent culture, providing financial insights to inform operational decision-making which has improved financial outcomes.• Facilitated significant supplier contract reviews and negotiations, successfully renewing contracts with preferred suppliers.• Established a robust Work Health and Safety (WHS) culture, contributing to zero Lost Time Injuries (LTI) during my tenure.• Spearheaded strategic initiatives with large-scale retail partners, including Woolworths, Coles, Costco, and export customers in China; Thailand; Europe; and the Middle East.• Appointed to major steering committees, particularly the ICT Steering Committee to design IT solutions and for the redevelopment project valued at $65 million, a remit I maintain to date.• Established people and culture strategies to drive commercial awareness in all production areas, supported through reporting frameworks for regular business updates.

I was responsible for leading the value-add pre-pack product category for domestic and international retailers spanning Coles; Woolworths; Aldi; Metcash; Costco; Costa; Aussie Farmers Direct; Harris Farm Markets; and export markets in Dubai and Asia. I also led tender negotiations, contract reviews, and corporate restructures.This included managing over 40 SKUs whilst defining strategies for innovation, service excellence and delivery, quality, and reliability; leading strategic procurement for all fresh produce in the external grower network; and exceeding export sales budgets whilst building relations in the Middle East market.Notable Achievements• Built and trained a team of seven direct and indirect reports, facilitating extensive mentoring in addition to defining professional development standards, career development, and succession plans.• Established and maintained strong relationships across the external supply network spanning produce growers and third-party retail customers, and the wider packaging and production supply network.• Established new sales strategies for both domestic and international retail markets, exceeding first year sales revenue and unit volume targets. This included launching new lines and export strategies for Montague products (20 per cent) and sourced and packed fruit (80 per cent).• Leveraged financial insights from a career in finance to promote a stronger understanding of operational decision-making on finances, resulting in cost and stock waste reductions and strong margin analysis. This included establishing a robust Financial Control System to refine processes.• Contributed to the redevelopment of the core IT System as an SME and Super-User, specifying commercial, financial, and regulatory requirements whilst managing review programs and solution design.

Leading the Finance Team and with direct line management of the Financial Accountant, I led strategies to provide commercial support to Sales, Marketing, Operations, and Product Divisions whilst also assisting the strategic procurement function of the business.A member of the senior Leadership team reporting directly to the Managing Director, Pacific region, I also lead financial priorities for the Pacific region, reporting through to wider region of Europe, and ultimately dealing directly with headquarters based in California. This includes reporting on financial performance; financial controls of up to $50 million; budget negotiations and controls; statutory compliance; and wider Management, and Board reporting whilst also leveraging analytical insights to manage slow-moving stock and reduce lead teams.Notable Achievements• Developed and implemented cost control checks with SAP to remediate standard pricing errors which also streamlined month-end processes, reducing the time required to finalise monthly reports and enabling the team to focus on wider finance functions.• Spearheaded the Samples Project, reducing annual spend on sample products by $250k by engaging Product and Operations teams to evaluate samples that could be virtualised; facilitating pilots of online samples to demonstrate colour ranges to retailers; and advocating the advantages of managing fewer physical samples to the Sales Team.• Contributed to the development and implementation of strategies for employee engagement across the senior leadership group in addition to robust financial frameworks and strategies.• Led the integration project to consolidate the Australian and New Zealand financial centres. This included identifying best practices for system components; developing improved business processes for two regions; defining reporting lines and accountabilities; and engaging the Technical Team to brief on the integration project.

Reporting directly to the CFO, I provided senior financial management strategies for a diversified investment portfolio, specialising in property and land development projects; large-scale farming enterprises; vineyard operations, wine production, multiple sales streams; large equity investments and Joint Venture capital projects.In addition to managing P&L variance analysis; forecasting; and tax reporting for FBT, BAS, PAYG, and Fuel Tax Credits, I also oversaw efficient taxation strategies for the investment portfolio whilst also managing the Fowles Wine account.Notable Achievements• Managed and maintained all group functions for fixed assets; accounts payable and accounts receivable (AP/AR); and payroll, inclusive of superannuation, awards, WorkCover, and employee contracts.• Established a new reporting framework from scratch, which included developing a whole-of-organisation performance analysis structure; creating processes to integrate reporting lines; and maximising visibility and financial controls for risk owners.• Led an increased focus on commercial performance and financial literacy by spearheading mentoring for Farm Managers and Viticulturists on commercial performance whilst also training operational staff on financial reporting.• Successfully achieved all group reporting requirements for P&L, balance sheets, and cashflow reports.

In addition to managing monthly P&Ls, balance sheet, and wider taxation and statutory reporting for the group, I was responsible for facilitating comprehensive analyses on financial performance for cashflows, key accounts, and auditing functions.Notable Achievements• Managed all financial reporting to BMW Munich HQ, including reports on monthly reconciliations; costing reports; General Ledger and complex journal preparations; and GL processes.• Successfully maintained the fixed asset register and CapEx budgets for the organisation.• Facilitated stocktakes, treasury dealings, and broader import pricing processes concurrently with daily financial reporting functions.