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Innovation, Great Brands and Excellence in Customer Service - Thursday 13 June

Over 120 Brisbane based business executives joined the AICC Qld to network and hear from Terry Davis, Group Managing Director, Coca-Cola Amatil for Australia and New Zealand and Don Meij, Managing Director and CEO, Domino's Pizza discuss "the classic combination, Coke and Pizza - what makes a great customer and what makes a great supplier? Two of Australia's leading food and beverage CEO's reveal all". 

Innovation, great brands and excellence in customer service - in conversation with Terry Davis, Group Managing Director of Coca-Cola Amatil, one of Australia’s leading beverage and food companies and one of the world’s top five Coca-Cola bottlers,  and Don Meij, CEO and Managing Director of Domino’s Pizza, Australia’s largest and first publically listed pizza company.

 

About Terry Davis, Group Managing Director, Coca Cola Amatil

Terry Davis joined Coca-Cola Amatil (CCA) as group managing director in November 2001 and is one of Australia’s longest-serving ASX top 30 company CEOsIn March Mr Davis announced he would retire on 31 August 2014.

In the period under Mr Davis’s leadership CCA has delivered 8 out of 11 years of double-digit earnings growth, with shares outperforming the market by two and a half times¹ and dividends paid to shareholders increasing more than three-fold².  The market capitalisation of CCA has increased from $3.5 billion to over $11 billion, and since 2005, the organic accelerated capital investment in technology innovation has delivered very strong results, with return on capital employed increasing by more than 7 points to 24% per annum in 2013.

Under Mr Davis’s leadership, CCA has transformed its earnings base by developing from what was primarily a carbonated beverage company into a broader based beverage and food company with a portfolio that includes spring water, fruit juices, coffee, flavoured milk, SPC Ardmona packaged ready-to-eat fruit and vegetable products and premium alcoholic beverages.

The focus for CCA has been to materially improve returns in the business.  This has been centred around making innovation and customer service excellence a key differentiator to its competitors.  This has been achieved through a multi-year period of significant investments in technology, manufacturing and distribution capability and operating systems which have driven vertical integration in the manufacturing process, along with the execution of best practice process improvement in customer service across the group.

CCA is one of the most successful bottlers in the global Coca-Cola system and has received a number of business awards, including Australia’s 4th Most Innovative Company 2012 (BRW).  In two independent Corporate Confidence indexes in 2012 CCA was ranked in the top four in both surveys for Quality of Earnings; Effective CEO; Effective Board and Strong Competitive Advantage.

Mr Davis was appointed a director of Seven Group Holdings in June 2010 and is Chairman of the SGH Related Party Committee.

He was on the Board of St George Bank from 2004 to December 2008 and Chairman of its Remuneration Committee.  Mr Davis was a member of the Advisory Council for the UNSW Faculty of Commerce from 2002 – 2006 and has been a member of the Council of the University of NSW since 2006.

 

1  Total Shareholder Return to CCA shareholders from Jan 1-Dec 2012 = 373%. In the same period the S&P/ASX 100 Accumulation Index returned 145%

2  Dividends increased from 14c in 2001 to 52.5c in 2011

 

About Don Meij, CEO and Managing Director, Domino’s Pizza

 

From pizza delivery driver to pizza store entrepreneur, to CEO and Managing Director of Australia’s largest and first publicly-listed pizza chain, Don Meij has proven passion, dedication and a keen business sense means everything when it comes to climbing the corporate ladder.

 

2012 marked Don’s 25th year with Australian owned and operated Domino’s Pizza Enterprises Ltd (“Domino’s”), the largest Domino’s franchisee for the international brand, in the world.

 

After starting as a pizza delivery driver in 1987 in Redcliffe, Queensland, for Silvio’s Dial-a-Pizza (“Silvio’s”) while studying to be a high school teacher, Don fell in love with the business and has since slowly worked his way up the ranks.

 

Future positions included; Store Manager (1989) followed by Area Manager, State Operations Manager and Director of National Operations (1991–1993). In 1993, Silvio’s purchased Domino’s in Australia and Don became General Manager. The Domino’s and Silvio’s brands were operated separately.

 

In 1996 Don became a Domino’s franchisee and built a network of 17 stores, before vending his stores into Domino's in 2001 to become Chief Operating Officer (2001) then Chief Executive Officer (2002). In May 2005, Don led Domino’s to become Australia’s first publicly-listed pizza chain on the ASX.

 

Don has won a number of industry awards including; The Ernst & Young Australian Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2004, Australian Institute of Management (AIM) Professional Manager of the Year 2004 (QLD) and the 2002 QLD Retail Franchise.

Don’s international Domino's awards include; Chairman's Award for Outstanding Leadership in the Domino’s worldwide network 2004 and Pizza International Manager of the Year 1996.