Focus on… My career

Although I grew up in Christchurch, New Zealand, my time in the legal profession has not seen me spend any time there (other than trips home to visit family and friends) following the completion of my studies at the University of Canterbury. My legal career started with a move north to join the Wellington office of Bell Gully in 2014 before moving ‘across the ditch’ in 2016 to take up a corporate transactions role for Ashurst Australia in Sydney.

The early opportunity to take up a secondment at (then) Coca-Cola Amatil was one I could not refuse after getting an early taste of in-house life during a short secondment with Todd Energy in Wellington. While I am very grateful for my time in private practice, I was pleased that my secondment at Coca-Cola Amatil was extended several times and eventually resulted in a job offer.

The variety of work at Coca-Cola Amatil has seen me get involved in a broad range of matters across the business, from new product launches to consumer claims and contracts with the full spectrum of customers and suppliers. Some of the most interesting projects I have worked on have been the establishment of industry-led organisations for coordinating container deposit and refund schemes, which have promoted the importance of producer responsibility in achieving positive environmental outcomes.

In May 2021, Coca-Cola Amatil was acquired by Coca-Cola European Partners, and the post-acquisition business would become known as Coca-Cola Europacific Partners or CCEP. Supporting various internal stakeholders through the completion and transition periods was rewarding, given that I had advised on the same during my time in private practice. It was pleasing to see the acknowledgement of and pride for Coca-Cola Amatil’s history shared with the excitement of becoming the Coca-Cola System’s largest independent bottler.

As the business transitioned to meet the needs of the new global organisation, the CCEP Australia legal team did, too – introducing ‘legal channel leads’ as the key points of contact for the channels led by Australian leadership team members. I was selected as the legal channel lead for CCEP Australia’s ‘Away From Home’ team, which was off the back of significant wins, including (i)the extension of our Hungry Jack’s supply agreement to 2030; (ii) winning Pizza Hut’s Australian business for the first time; and (iii) securing supply to Craveable Brands.

This change in approach has been rewarding, allowing me greater involvement in strategic projects and initiatives as a member of the ‘Away From Home’ leadership team. I have also had the opportunity to work on strategic projects across other channels and the wider CCEP business, including a ‘plain English’ update of CCEP Australia’s general terms and conditions of sale and CCEP’s exit from the majority of its arrangements relating to the beer and cider market in Australia.

Through providing over-and-above support and building strong relationships with colleagues across the business, I have enjoyed a successful start to my in-house career with Coca-Cola Amatil and CCEP. I have been extremely fortunate to work with some incredible leaders, including Betty Ivanoff – a fantastic mentor, lawyer and, most importantly, person (and, unsurprisingly, is a regular feature in the Legal 500’s GC Powerlist).

In November, I will finish up with CCEP after nearly six years and have accepted a senior commercial lawyer role with Woolworths Group. While I am sad to be leaving CCEP, I am looking forward to joining the Woolworths Group team and excited by the new challenges that await.