Our Board

Peak industry body representing the $7 billion non-alcoholic beverages industry.

Join the Australian Beverages Council

Become a Member
The Australian Beverages Council is headed by a Board of Directors, each of whose respective companies are involved in the franchise, manufacture, distribution or import of non-alcoholic, water, and juice-based beverages. Directors are elected from the membership body by members. The structure of the Board reflects the membership of our association.

The Board provides stewardship of the organisation and the industry through sound governance, structure, and a commitment to informed strategic planning and oversight. To effectively and fairly represent the united interests of a diverse industry, each Director has one vote. The Australian Beverages Council also has a Constitution which guarantees representation for all parts of the industry.

  • Sandra Loader
    Independent Chair and Non-Executive Director

    Sandra has been a Non-Executive director of the Australian Beverages Council Ltd (ABCL) since 2009 and the current Independent Chair since 2015. She is passionate about ensuring the beverages sector works together to drive positive change when it comes to environmental stewardship, healthier options while maintaining beverage choices for all consumers.

    An experienced executive director with 30 years’ experience in the FMCG sector, and non-executive director with 12 years governance experience across food and beverage, government and not for profit sectors. Sandra values diversity and is committed to driving, continuous learning and sharing knowledge and wisdom to make a difference as a leader. Her 3 board roles allow her to focus on governance excellence and align with the organisations purpose. She is committed to actions that drive powerful change and have a positive impact on the environment, by serving boards, and their committees to deliver results.

    In addition to the boards Sandra serves, she works as a consultant on strategic projects, is the Victorian advocate with Hargraves Institute bringing together community, collaboration and innovation, and is a coach and mentor to those wanting to achieve their potential.

    Her past executive roles as Science & Technology Director with Asahi Beverages, and Executive Director with The Better Drinks Company, is testament to the depth and breadth of her business knowledge across all functions and the beverage sector. She is known for developing and implementing culture change and leading business integration programs at executive level.

    Sandra is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and holds a Bachelor of Science qualification. Based in Melbourne, she has a passion for science & innovation, sport, art, travel and protecting our environment.

  • Geoff Parker
    Chief Executive Officer & Company Secretary, Australian Beverages Council

    In 2009, Geoff was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Beverages Council. Since then, Geoff has successfully managed two mergers, significantly raised the Beverages Council’s profile with key stakeholders and firmly positioned the organisation as the peerless, respected voice of the $7+ billion non-alcoholic beverage industry in Australia.

    In 2010, Geoff was elected President and Asia-Pacific Regional Director of the International Council of Beverages Associations (ICBA). In 2012 he was elected for a consecutive two-year term. Geoff also serves on the Board of the International Council of Bottled Water Associations (ICBWA), and in 2017 was elected as its Vice-President. Geoff has been on the ICBWA Board since 2009.

    Geoff has over 20 years’ involvement in boardrooms including global training companies, national not-for-profits, arts organisations, public companies, statutory authorities and international associations in both director and chair roles.

    Geoff is a Fellow of both the Australian Institute of Management and the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and holds qualifications from The University of Queensland and The University of Cambridge. Geoff divides his time between Sydney, Brisbane and overseas markets. He is a rugby tragic, terrible golfer, avid runner and enjoys cooking and wine matching.

  • Tim Carey
    Managing Director, Black Mount Natural Spring Water, and Treasurer, Australian Beverages Council

    Tim’s involvement in the bottled water industry stretches over 20 years, from the time that his father Brian started a small spring water supply business from their family property at Millbrook, Victoria.

    Following 5 years as a Consultant with PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Tim joined Black Mount Spring Water full time in 2005 as Managing Director and started the expansion of the business.

    Black Mount now supplies the bulk spring water and logistics to over 20 customers in Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia, with a small interest in Hong Kong and Singapore.

    Tim is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accounts of Australia and has served on the ABCL Board since 2014 and ABWI Executive Committee since 2009, including the past 5 years as Chair.

  • Julian Sheezel
    Group General Manager, Corporate Affairs - Asahi Beverages

    Julian Sheezel is Group General Manager of Corporate Affairs for Asahi Beverages Oceania. Prior to joining Asahi Beverages in 2020, Julian led the Corporate Affairs function at Carlton & United Breweries.

    Earlier, Julian had careers in corporate taxation, politics and government. He worked in international corporate tax roles in Melbourne and Hong Kong with KPMG. He then served in senior political party roles in Melbourne and Canberra for more than a decade before being Chief of Staff to the Australian Minister for Revenue and Financial Services.

    Julian has a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Queensland and a Master of Taxation from the University of NSW.

  • George Kotses
    Operations Manager, Bickford’s Australia

    George Kotses has over 23 years experience in the beverage industry working for the Bickford’s Group of companies, where he is Group Operations Manager with overall responsibility for the group’s total portfolio of operational sites.

    George is based at the Salisbury Facility in South Australia, which is the main Operational and Logistics site on 24,000 sq metres of land, that produces soft drink, mixers, cordial, premium juices, syrups, water, flavoured water (under the Bickford’s and Aqua Pura brands) and alcoholic – full strength spirits, RTD’s, Ciders, wine, fortified wine – major brands portfolio Galway Tawny, Andrew Garratt Sparkling, Queen Adelaide, Beresford Wines, 3 Oaks Cider, Beenleigh Rum and Black Bottle Brandy.

  • Natalie Helm
    Director, Public Affairs, Communication and Sustainability, Coca-Cola South Pacific

    Natalie joined Coca-Cola South Pacific in 2020, and leads public affairs, communication and sustainability for Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands.

    Prior to joining Coca-Cola Natalie worked as a consultant in the UK and Australia, advising on communication strategy, public affairs, brand communications and government relations for businesses and brands operating in the retail, food and beverage, alcohol, and energy and environment sectors.

  • Stephan Anderson
    General Manager ANZ Beverages and Chief Financial Officer ANZ

    Stephan Anderson serves as the Chief Financial Officer for the ANZ PepsiCo business, along with his role as the ANZ Beverages General Manager.  Stephan joined PepsiCo ANZ in early 2022 and was formerly General Manager of Finance and Strategy for PepsiCo Australia’s bottling partner, Asahi.

    Stephan has strong experience leading cross-functional teams to deliver transformational projects and unlock new avenues for growth.  In his capacity as GM Finance Operations, Stephan led a team of 90 partnering across the business, before moving into the role of Group General Manager Growth and Efficiency Projects where he had sight across Asahi’s entire value chain. ​

    Stephan has also held a number of roles in the UK, and internationally with British Telecom, Antheuser-Busch InBev, Burger King and Kerry Foods, before joining Asahi and relocating to Australia in 2013. ​

  • Allison Yorston
    Chief Marketing Officer

    Info coming soon!

  • Mike Stacey
    Chief Customer Officer, Bundaberg Brewed Drinks

    Info coming soon!

  • Geoff Erby
    Managing Director ANZ, Refresco

    Info coming soon!

  • Sam Mostapha

    Info coming soon!

About

The Australian Beverages Council Ltd (ABCL) is the peak body representing the non-alcoholic beverage industry.…

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Our Industry

From idyllic orchards to dairy farms, cane fields to vegetable farms, the non-alcoholic beverage industry…

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Our Mission

Industry Representation With its origins dating back to 1947, the Australian Beverages Council was established…

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Our Team

The Australian Beverages Council is managed by a team of dedicated staff with expertise in…

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Our Board

The Australian Beverages Council is headed by a Board of Directors, each of whose respective…

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Our Expertise

The Australian Beverages Council has particular strengths in Technical Regulatory Affairs, Corporate Affairs, Sustainability and Public Affairs.…

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Our Structure

Our structure: The Board, Constitution, Committees and Divisions The Australian Beverages Council is administered by…

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Our History

Find out more about the non-alcoholic beverage industry’s rich and colourful history.

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Our Divisions

The Australian Beverages Council introduced a dedicated juice division, Juice Australia (formerly Fruit Juice Australia),…

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Our Committees

Public Affairs Committee [highlist] The Public Affairs Committee (PAC) of the Australian Beverages Council: Provides…

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Our Working Groups

The Australian Beverages Council forms small working groups comprised of members to tackle individual issues…

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Our Affiliates

The Australian Beverages Council is affiliated with a number of organisations. Through our affiliates, we…

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