Asahi Beverages Group CEO Robert Iervasi has resigned after 16 years with the business. Iervasi said it was time to spend more time with his family for personal reasons and have a career break.
Group CFO Amanda Sellers will be interim Group CEO Oceania, effective immediately, while a permanent replacement is found.
Asahi Holdings Australia chair Roland van Bommel said, “Robert joined Asahi Beverages in 2006 and during this time he worked across many aspects of the business. In 2019, he was promoted to Group CEO of our Oceania business.
“Robert played a critical role in the successful integration of Carlton & United Breweries and the Oceania business has delivered consistent business results under his leadership.
“We wish Robert and his family all the very best for the future. Amanda is an incredibly talented leader, and we are fortunate to have her as our interim CEO.”
Iervasi led the company in its collaboration with Pact Group, Cleanaway Waste Management, and Coco-Cola Europacific Partners to form Circular Plastics Australia (PET) in 2020. Since then, the joint venture has built a $45 million recycling facility in Albury, New South Wales, with the capacity to recycle the equivalent of one billion 600ml PET plastic bottles every year. It will grow the amount of locally sourced and recycled PET produced in Australia by two-thirds, from around 30,000 tonnes to more than 50,000 tonnes.
At its launch in March 2022, Iervasi said: “It can’t be underestimated how significant this project will be – we are providing an industry-wide solution that will benefit all Australians. Asahi Beverages already has a large beverage manufacturing plant in Albury, and we are excited to expand our presence, helping create more local jobs.”
The JV is building a second plant in Melbourne’s west. Worth $50 million, it is expected to come online later this year.
Iervasi oversaw the $55 million upgrade of Asahi’s Wulkuraka manufacturing plant in Queensland, nearly doubling the plant’s capacity with three new lines, new sustainability initiatives, and more jobs.
He was always passionate about the company’s environmental credentials. On releasing the company’s sustainability report last year, he said, “Sustainability is at the core of the business”.
Iervasi also led key acquisitions, including Allpress Espresso in 2021, and premium adult soft drink brand StrangeLove in 2022.
The largest of all was the $16 billion acquisition of Carlton & United Breweries from AB InBev in 2020.
