Peter Kean, the managing director of Lion Nathan New Zealand, has been appointed to lead the group’s National Foods business unit in Australia.

The company announced today (7 February) that Kean, currently managing director of Lion Nathan National Foods’ New Zealand and global wine businesses, will become managing director of National Foods from 1 April.

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He will replace Andrew Reeves, who is leaving the dairy and juice manufacturer to become CEO of ABF subsidiary George Weston Foods.

Lion Nathan said that Kean has been with the company for almost 25 years, spending the last six as managing director.

Commenting on Kean’s appointment, Lion Nathan National Foods CEO Rob Murray said: “Under Peter’s leadership, Lion Nathan has successfully implemented a number of sustainable growth strategies and transformational initiatives including the evolution of the NZ business to a multi-category model comprising New Zealand’s best-loved beverage brands.”

Murray highlighted the challenges that Kean will face in his new role. “There is no doubt the operating environment for National Foods is a challenging one, not least of which is because of the conditions in both the dairy and juice sectors remain very challenging for farmers and producers alike,” Murray said.

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