About
Lion Dairy & Drinks (Lion) transforms raw milk from Australian dairy farms into delicious and nutritious high quality products that consumers enjoy and rely on every day.
We purchase more than 730 million litres of milk from about 390 Australian farms each year (including direct Lion suppliers and suppliers through the Dairy Farmers Milk Cooperative), to produce a diverse range of full cream, flavoured and modified fresh milk, milk-based beverages, cream, yoghurts and dairy desserts.
Supplying Lion means partnering with a premium Australian dairy business that is choosing to grow by focusing on profitable categories and brands that deliver sustainable benefits to our dairy suppliers, customers and our business.
Lion invests in the innovation, quality and marketing that drives demand for milk and dairy products and sustains the entire dairy supply chain. We are experts and we love what we do.
Overview
Our repertoire of dairy products is highly aligned to Australians’ increasing desire to eat better quality and less processed food.
Almost everything we make comes from Australian farms, and the reach of our brands means that we can play a direct role in improving the food choices and the health of Australian families. In fact, we’ve made it our mission to bring delicious natural goodness to every Australian, every day.
Lion has the best-loved portfolio of fresh dairy brands in the country, and we are proud to deliver the delicious dairy goodness that Australian families rely on every day. Our dairy brands include many of Australia’s favourites including PURA, Masters and the most trusted name in dairy, Dairy Farmers, a brand which has been enjoyed by Australian families for over 100 years.
Lion also boasts Australia’s biggest iced coffee brand, Dare, as well as regional classics such as Big M, Farmers Union Iced Coffee, Masters and Moove. In specialty cheese, brands such as South Cape, King Island Dairy, Mersey Valley and Tasmanian Heritage comprise Australia’s leading premium cheese portfolio.
Lion is focused on creating value for the long-term, and building partnerships with farmers, customers and other stakeholders to deliver this commitment.
As Australia’s leading branded dairy business, Lion champions the benefits of dairy, the credentials of our safe and reliable supply chain and the positive role we play as a business and as an industry.
Our Brands
Senior Leadership Group
Kathy Karabatsas
Managing Director
Kathy was appointed Managing Director Lion Dairy & Drinks (LDD) in December 2017 and is responsible for the business in Australia, New Zealand and Asia.
She joined the Lion (then National Foods) business in 2006 and since then has held a number of senior financial and operational planning roles and led complex change programs within the Lion Dairy & Drinks (LDD) business. In 2013, Kathy was appointed as Finance Director for the business, including accountability for agricultural procurement. In 2016 she was also took on the role of Managing Director of Adjacent Business Units, being the Lion Specialty Cheese, Lion Dairy NZ and Vitasoy Australia businesses.
Kathy has deep experience in commercial finance, strategy and integrated business planning, and has also led several key transformation projects including the introduction of an integrated LDD planning process, the relocation of the Business Solutions function and the sale of LDD’s everyday cheese business in 2015.
Prior to joining Lion, Kathy worked in finance and strategy roles with large multinationals including BHP and ABB International. Kathy has a passion for supporting the homeless and together with her husband she operated crisis accommodation facilities in Melbourne for 20 years. In 2002, Kathy took a three year break from corporate life and managed the crisis accommodation facilities, working together with local, state and federal government bodies to develop accommodation and drug rehabilitation programs for the homeless in Melbourne.
Mark Leitch
Finance Director
Mark was appointed Lion Dairy & Drinks Finance Director in January 2018 and leads the finance, and strategy functions across the business.
Mark joined Lion in 2003 and has extensive experience in a variety of senior strategy, commercial finance and planning roles within Lion’s New Zealand and Australian businesses.
Prior to joining Lion Mark held analyst roles in the United Kingdom with the Sainsbury’s Supermarket Group and BT.
Murray Jeffrey
AGRICULTURAL PROCUREMENT DIRECTOR
Murray Jeffrey has more than 30 years of experience working in procurement. He was raised in the Central highlands of Victoria in a small agricultural township and this helped formed the strong
values of trusted partnership and doing the right thing for the long term which still sets the foundation of his work today.
Murray studied Civil Engineering which led him to the dairy industry in 1995. Always passionate about agriculture and its place in the fast-moving consumer goods business, Murray worked at various factories around Australia driving efficiency programs until taking on the Agricultural Director’s role at Lion Dairy & Drinks in 2010. As part of this role he has oversight of the agricultural procurement of almost 1 billion litres of milk, 65,000T of fruit, various agriculture ingredients and close to 300 milk tanker movements a day for over 15 sites across Australia/New Zealand.
Murray’s passion is growing shared wealth through some of the great agricultural lands and communities around Australia with over 500 farming partners.
Elise Gare
External Relations Director
Elise Gare has more than 15 years of experience working in Corporate Affairs across a number of industries. Beginning her career as a journalist with the Ballarat Courier, Elise moved into corporate affairs working as the Senior Media Adviser within Victoria Police.
She went onto to work with Tabcorp Holdings and CGU insurance before joining the former National Foods business, which later became Lion. After a couple of years with the dairy business, Elise left Lion to work with Australia Post in the newly formed Business Communications function.
She subsequently re-joined Lion in 2013 as the External Relations Director for the Beer, Spirits & Wine business in Australia and in mid-2015 she returned to work with Lion’s dairy business in Australia and Asia.
Louise Harding
People & Culture Director
Louise was appointed Lion Dairy & Drinks (LDD) People & Culture Director in December 2017 and has extensive experience within the Fast Moving and Consumer Goods (FMCG) sector. She leads the People & Culture team who partner with LDD business leaders to deliver a growth culture focused on safety, customers and people capability for the future.
Louise joined Lion in 2009 and prior to this appointment Louise was the People & Culture Director Supply Chain, working across 14 sites and responsible for developing and achieving the People & Culture strategy and plan for LDD Supply Chain network. Louise has also held several other senior People & Culture roles across Lion’s Beer and Dairy & Drinks businesses.
Louise is passionate about creating innovative ways to engage all employees and establishing the culture, systems and training that will develop leaders and empower employees to solve problems.
Stuart Muir
Supply Chain Director
Stuart Muir is a career supply chain professional with extensive experience in food manufacturing. Beginning his career with Unilever, Stuart was later appointed Operations Director for Streets icecream before joining Lion Group in 2011. Stuart moved to the dairy business soon after to lead the NSW manufacturing sites, and was promoted to Supply Chain Director for Lion’s entire dairy business in 2014.
Nicola Richardson
Sales Director
Nicola has over 16 years of experience in predominantly consumer goods businesses, starting her career at Dulux Paints, before joining National Foods and later Campbells Soup in the UK.
Upon returning to Australia in 2006, Nicola re-joined Lion (National Foods) and was subsequently promoted through a number of senior sales and marketing roles across key regions and categories. Nicola was appointed to lead Sales for the Dairy & Drinks business in 2016.
Thisuni Ranasinghe
General Counsel
Thisuni is a highly experienced commercial lawyer, valued business partner and was appointed as General Counsel Lion Dairy & Drinks (LDD) Executive in January 2018. She is also a member of the Capital Chilled Foods (Australia) board. CCFA is a joint venture between Lion Dairy & Drinks and Bega Cheese.
Thisuni has a wealth of generalist legal experience gained from working in-house and also in private practice, government and the higher education sector. Thisuni started her career as the Legal Associate to the President of the Australian Industrial Relations Commission (now the Fair Work Commission) and then worked in-house at Monash University. She then moved into private practice, advising major clients like Origin Energy, Boral, the State Government of Victoria and John Holland on all aspects of employment law and industrial relations.
Thisuni joined Lion in 2011 and has held several senior legal positions, supporting strategic initiatives in agricultural procurement, supply chain, logistics, marketing, sales, finance, HR, corporate and Lion’s dairy business in Asia. Thisuni prides herself on providing quality legal advice, which balances the commercial and strategic imperatives of her many stakeholders.
Thisuni is passionate about collaborative leadership, working cross functionally across Lion’s many operational divisions and driving commercially focused outcomes.
Darryn Wallace
Marketing & Innovation Director
Darryn is an experienced senior marketing and commercial director with over 20 years’ experience working within the FMCG industry. Prior to joining The Daily Drink Co in 2016, Darryn has held a variety of senior marketing and commercial roles with Cadbury, Schweppes and Asahi operating in the Australian Beverage and Food market place.
Darryn is passionate about reinvigorating strong heritage brands, and developing strong customer relationships as well as building new brands, partnerships and teams, and is excited by the growth opportunities that lie ahead for Lion Dairy & Drinks. In October 2016, Darryn was promoted to lead the combined dairy and juice marketing and innovation function.