Casey Lee

The Pacific/NZ business carries a significant share of the SunRice portfolio at approximately $100 million NSV, and is strategically critical for our growth ambitions. The business is geographically diverse, with a strong, highly branded, market-leading position across the 20 island nations of the Pacific and New Zealand.

The business operates primarily on a distributor model across most markets, with strong relationships that have been in place for over 30 years in some instances, and are built on mutual trust and respect.

Pacific Responsibilities:

• Responsible for driving commercial outcomes by identifying and executing commercial opportunities through local insight, and distributors across the existing product portfolio and NPD projects.
• Owning and managing sales forecasts, sourcing, and new products.
• Manage in-store displays, catalogues, products, packaging, merchandising programs, POS, and trade marketing budget.
• Use data to optimize ongoing promotional plans, collate learnings, and recommend clear next steps for future activations, delivering promotional efficiency, and post-event analysis.
• Develop local ‘community campaigns’ in partnership with the Solomon Islands country manager and distribution partners from Fiji, Vanuatu, and Samoa to celebrate how our brands ‘make a difference’ in the areas of disaster relief, education, sponsorship, health and well-being, and others. Not only are these social efforts unique and ownable to SunRice, but they also provide an opportunity to connect emotionally with consumers at a time when they need it most, given the impact COVID, lack of tourism, and job loss have had on most communities. Part of this responsibility will involve collaborating with relevant DFAT and local government contacts.

NZ Responsibilities:

• Overall management of the NZ retail channel. This includes responsibility for achieving agreed sales volumes, profit, and market share targets.
• Develop and deliver a tailored customer strategy for the NZ market and customers, ensuring it is aligned with the broader company strategy.
• Responsible for sales forecasting and accuracy by SKU, by week.
• Co-ordinate and develop the promotional plans for the retail business in conjunction with James Crisp.
• Management of trade spend within agreed guidelines.
• Develop strong and effective external relationships with all customers, including buyers, category managers, and heads of trade.
• Build a strong business relationship with each relevant internal department (NPD, Marketing, Finance, Field broker) to optimize the Business Plans for this channel.
• Liaise with the Marketing Team to ensure all marketing activities are leveraged with customers, and promotions are integrated to maximize opportunities for success.
• Food Service - Responsible for the account management of 10 key distributors.
• Sales forecasting and accuracy.
• Creation and execution of a business development plan for the channel and for key accounts.
• Alignment with marketing team on ethnic consumer brand activities.

Achievements:

Pacific:

• +60% NSV, and +600% GP growth compared to last year.
• Launched Good, Better, Best product tiering.
• Launched new rice varietals across targeted markets.

NZ:

• NZ, +11% NSV, and +14% GP growth compared to last year.
• Customer acceptance of several new lines.

Responsibility:

• Review current market positioning and offerings relative to insights and opportunities and make recommendations for the future shape of the function.

• Execute strategy and strategic plan.

• Build a growth strategy that leverages new SunRice products (e.g. bran and brown flour) and supply chains (Lap Vo mill and traded supply chains)

• Build e-commerce platform and business • Deliver strategic plan targets annually.

• Develop strong and effective external relationships with food ingredients customers and distributors, including procurement, management, manufacturing, and R&D.

• Manage financially effective and achievable contract execution.
• Utilize these relationships to build and scale business growth. • Utilize these relationships to garner industry and market insight and perspective for internal calibration.

• Build a strong business relationship with each relevant internal department (SOP, Manufacturing, Procurement, R&D, Finance) to optimize the business plans for your customer.

• Oversee and understand the supply chain of all customers and contracts to best inform business decisions and manage customer expectations.

Achieve high forecast accuracy for sales to allocated accounts.

Collaborate effectively with internal teams to take a forward view of supply and agree on plans to mitigate any issues.
• Understand P&L end-to-end for reporting, troubleshooting, and opportunities.

Achievements:

• Foodservice sales grew by 30% compared to last year.
• Food ingredient sales growth is up 10% compared to last year.
• Highest food ingredient profits ever recorded.
• Double-digit share growth versus last year, across both Foodservice and Food Ingredients.
• Onboarded five large customers.

Achievements:

• Doubling Roza's business in two years.
• Growing Independence shares faster than Metcash.
• Growing the Toscano brand by 10% compared to last year.
• Developing and executing several NPD lines.
• Successfully hiring 70% of the field sales team.
• Launching a new CRM sales tool.

Cultivated partnerships with Sonoma customers to enhance business growth.

Woolworth's - 20% sales growth on last year in par-bake (National).

Woolworth's implemented a fresh bread range in the top 35 Sydney stores.

Launched 'Origins of Bellata' par-bake as part of the national range at Metcash.

Generated significant year-over-year improvement with a 30% increase in fresh range sales.

Achieved extended product listing.

Successfully decreased wastage rate at Harris Farm from 30% to 16%.

Established strong connections with clients, ensuring all potential opportunities were recognized and leveraged according to the strategic plan.

Oversaw the Kimberly-Clark account for Costco, Aldi, and P&C.

Secured a $20 million private label tender in Costco for KC Australia.

Secured incremental product sales at Aldi valued at $5 million.

Developed structured business strategies for distributors and key P&C clients.