Frucor Suntory appoints new Chief Supply Chain Officer

Frucor Suntory has appointed Ian Roberts as its new Chief Supply Chain Officer as it gears up for its multi-beverage Suntory Oceania partnership with Beam Suntory.

With an extensive background in end-to-end FMCG operations, Roberts brings a wealth of experience to the role — previously serving as the Executive General Manager of Retail at Visy and for over two decades at Lion in various senior supply chain director roles. Most notably, he recently established Visy’s retail-facing division and during his tenure as Lion's Chief Supply Chain and Technical Director, he played a pivotal role in the company’s transformation of its supply chain processes.

Darren Fullerton, CEO of Frucor Suntory – Oceania, expressed his enthusiasm about the appointment. “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.”

In his new role at Frucor Suntory Oceania, Roberts will lead the trans-Tasman supply chain, including the business operations based in Wiri, New Zealand and the $400+ million manufacturing and distribution facility currently under construction in Ipswich, Queensland and set to be operational from mid-2024.

This appointment follows the recent announcement that Frucor Suntory and Beam Suntory are partnering to create a $3bn multi-beverage group —Suntory Oceania. Together, the two Suntory businesses will create the fourth largest beverage group in the region, with full end-to-end control of its portfolio, including manufacturing, sales and distribution. The partnership is set to be operational for mid-2025 in Australia and 2026 in New Zealand.

Commenting on his new role, Roberts said, “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.”

Roberts will be based in Sydney and will play a pivotal role as part of the Oceania Leadership Team. Former Chief Supply Chain Officer Jon Sackree departed Frucor Suntory earlier this year after 10 years of dedicated service.