Drinks industry legend Gordon Treanor has joined the newly formed Suntory Oceania as Licensed Sales Director for Australia.

The new $3 billion multi-beverage partnership between Beam Suntory and Frucor Suntory described Treanor’s appointment as “pivotal”.

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.

Treanor has more than 25 years experience in the international beverage sector. He played a pioneering role in establishing Lion’s global drinks business in Europe and Asia. As the Managing Director for Lion – Europe and APAC, Treanor successfully integrated three businesses to deliver a platform to service beer, wine, and spirit brands.

Treanor has also held several Board roles for notable companies such as Heaps Normal, Remedy Drinks, and Schibello Coffee Group.

Suntory Oceania said the appointment holds strategic significance for the company as it gears up to become the fourth-largest beverage group in Australia and New Zealand by mid-2025.

Under the Suntory Oceania partnership, Treanor will partner Beam Suntory Oceania’s Managing Director, Mark Hill and Frucor Suntory Oceania’s Chief Commercial Officer Drew Fairnham to establish and deliver a new alcohol commercial function.

“The next few years are going to be truly transformational for Suntory and for the ANZ beverage industry more broadly,” Treanor said.

“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 $3 billion multi-beverage powerhouse by mid-2025.”

Beam Suntory Oceania Managing Director Mark 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: “As we build the Suntory Oceania partnership, Gordon’s appointment marks an important milestone in our 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.”

Working closely with the Beam Suntory team, Treanor will report to Frucor Suntory Oceania Chief Commercial Officer, Drew Fairnham.

Milestone in Suntory history

Suntory is building a $400 million cutting-edge manufacturing and distribution facility in Ipswich, Queensland. This represents the largest FMCG investment in Australia in the last decade and will enable Suntory Oceania to own its supply chain from end-to-end unlocking capacity and capability.

A construction milestone was celebrated last week with business partners and community stakeholders, who came together to view progress of our construction to date and see the RTD products that will be manufactured on site, including -196, Canadian Club and Jim Beam.

“It was a moment to celebrate all that we have achieved in the last 12 months as we go to market to recruit some great Queensland talent to be part of our journey,” Frucor Suntory Oceania said.

“We are confident in our ability to craft a future that goes above and beyond expectations, with the team gearing up for non-alcohol production from mid-2024 and alcohol production from mid-2025.”