Industry veteran Gordon Treanor has been appointed as Licensed Sales Director for Australia at Suntory Oceania, the new $3bn partnership between Beam Suntory and Frucor Suntory.
Treanor brings more than 25 years of industry experience and insights into the international beverage sector. He played a pioneering role in establishing Lion’s global drinks business in Europe and Asia. As Managing Director for Lion – Europe and APAC, he successfully integrated three businesses to deliver a platform to service beer, wine, and spirit brands.
He has also held Board roles for companies such as Heaps Normal, Remedy Drinks, and Schibello Coffee Group.
This is the first key appointment for Suntory Oceania, which will have a portfolio of more than 40 market leading brands, including Jim Beam and Maker’s Mark Bourbon, Hibiki Japanese Whisky, Canadian Club Whisky, -196, V Energy, Maximus, Suntory Boss Coffee among many more, and spans premium spirits, RTD, juice, water, soft drinks, coffee, energy, and sports drinks.
In his role, Treanor will establish and lead the Alcohol Route to Market team, a new unit dedicated to executing sales, channel, and customer growth strategies in the Australian market.
Speaking of his new role and the strategic direction for Suntory Oceania, Treanor said that the next few years will be transformational for Suntory and for the broader ANZ beverage industry.
At the core of the Suntory Oceania business is a new $400m cutting-edge manufacturing and distribution facility in Ipswich, Queensland, which will enable the business to own its supply chain from end-to-end unlocking capacity and capability.
“I’m excited to hit the ground running and to have the opportunity to build a best-in-class team as we work to become a $3bn multi-beverage powerhouse by mid-2025,” said Treanor.
Under the Suntory Oceania partnership, Treanor will partner with Beam Suntory Oceania’s Managing Director, Mark Hill and Frucor Suntory Oceania’s Chief Commercial Officer Drew Fairnham to establish and deliver a brand-new alcohol commercial function.
Expressing his enthusiasm for Treanor’s appointment, Hill said: “Gordon’s extensive industry expertise and unwavering enthusiasm for our One Suntory vision make him the ideal choice to lead the Licensed Sales Team. We look forward to his fresh perspective and industry acumen as we embark on this next chapter.”
Frucor Suntory Oceania CEO Darren Fullerton said that Treanor’s appointment marks an important milestone in the business’ transformation.
“His wealth of experience and proven track record will be instrumental in driving the success of our licensed sales strategy. We believe that under Gordon’s guidance, our licensed team will be a driving force in the Aussie beverage industry.”
Treanor will work closely with the Beam Suntory team and will report into Frucor Suntory Oceania Chief Commercial Officer, Drew Fairnham.