Lion is today announcing the appointment of Anubha Sahasrabuddhe as Chief Executive Officer and the creation of a unified Lion ANZ business which will position Lion as an Australasian powerhouse.
The new structure combines Lion’s Australian and New Zealand operations under a single Lion ANZ Leadership Team, enabling faster decision-making and even closer collaboration across both markets. The simplified approach will allow Lion to respond more quickly to customer needs and market opportunities.
Anubha Sahasrabuddhe is currently Lion’s Chief Growth & Commercial Officer, and the co-leader of its Lion Australia business. Anubha joined Lion in 2021 following senior leadership roles at The Coca-Cola Company and Mars Wrigley across Asia Pacific and North America.
“In recent years we’ve been transforming Lion to create a powerful platform for growth – unlocking new investment which has been refocused into our world-class brands, digital transformation and product innovation – while strengthening our supply chain and improving our partnerships & execution with customers,” Anubha said.
“But great businesses never stand still and Lion ANZ will position our business as an Australasian powerhouse, building on our incredible heritage spanning more than 180 years and the momentum we have created in recent years.
“Lion ANZ will make us more dynamic and market-focused than ever before – propelling our iconic beer brands to new heights and supercharging our growth in Australia and New Zealand. Lion is an incredible company and I am delighted to have been appointed as its next CEO to take us forward into our next era of growth.”
Lion’s United States businesses New Belgium Brewing and Distinguished Vineyards have grown to a point of scale and maturity where they can report directly to KIRIN, allowing Lion to focus its full attention and investment on Australian and New Zealand customers.
A new Lion ANZ Leadership Team will be created, replacing the previous Group, Australian and New Zealand Leadership Teams.
As a result of these changes to Lion’s business structure, its current Chief People & Transformation Officer, Alicia Purtell, and Chief Financial Officer, Triston King, have decided it is time to leave Lion and will be concluding at the end of March 2026 after supporting the transition.
James Brindley will continue as Lion Australia Managing Director until the end of 2025 and will then be transitioning into a new role with Lion as Strategic Advisor in 2026. James will be a member of the Lion ANZ Leadership Team and will continue to lead our spirits business in Australia, while working directly with key customers and external partners across Australia and New Zealand.
Lion’s current New Zealand Managing Director, Craig Baldie, has been appointed to a new role as Chief Operating Officer, with responsibility for leadership of the Sales & Marketing teams in New Zealand, as well as Strategy; Digital & Technology; Sustainability; and Container Deposit Schemes. Other appointees to the new Lion Leadership Team include Severine Yerriah as Chief Financial Officer; Matthew Anderson as Chief Supply Chain Officer; Glen Brasington as Executive General Manager – Marketing; Kerry Appathurai as Executive General Manager – Sales; Adam Gelbart as Executive General Manager – Commercial Operations; James Brindley as Strategic Advisor; Jane Hill as Chief People Officer; Saira Zaki as General Counsel; Ted Sato as Executive Board Director and KIRIN Strategy Director; Julian Luke as Executive Director Corporate Affairs; and Kenneth Yeo as Executive Director Risk & Audit.
Ms Sahasrabuddhe will commence as Lion CEO from 1 October 2025, which is when the new Lion Leadership Team and other changes will also take effect. Sam Fischer will conclude as Lion CEO at the end of October 2025, as previously announced.
Anubha Sahasrabuddhe Biography
Chief Executive Officer – Lion ANZ
As Lion’s Chief Executive Officer, Anubha Sahasrabuddhe will lead our Lion ANZ business. Anubha is a global business leader having led some of the world’s most loved brands from Coca-Cola and M&M’s through to Australian icons like Tooheys and XXXX. Anubha has extensive experience cross-culturally in both emerging as well as developed markets with high rates of change and volatility.
After more than 20 years away from her native Australia, in 2021 Anubha joined Lion as Chief Marketing Officer, and in 2023 took on the role of Chief Growth Officer bringing strategy, consumer brands, ventures, data, analytics and core technology together to drive growth.
In 2024 Anubha expanded her remit by becoming Chief Growth & Commercial Officer and co-Managing Director leading the Lion Australia Sales & Marketing portfolios, in addition to her existing Growth accountabilities. This appointment recognised Anubha’s incredibly strong consumer and commercial capability, her courageous and transformational leadership, and her success leading the Growth team in 2023.
Prior to joining Lion, Anubha held senior leadership roles at The Coca-Cola Company and Mars Wrigley across Asia Pacific and North America. Anubha’s passion is business transformation through a creative, cultural and technology lens and she has a track record of leading turnaround businesses through a consumer led growth agenda and building high performing diverse teams.
Anubha is also a Board Director for the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Foundation and an Industry Nominee Director representing the Brewers Association of Australia on the board of DrinkWise.
About Lion
Lion is a leading beverage company headquartered in Sydney, Australia. With origins dating back more than 180 years, Lion is known for its commitment to quality, craftsmanship, community, and sustainability, and recently became Australasia’s first large-scale carbon neutral brewer. Lion is a pioneer in brewing and continues to innovate across a range of adult beverages. Its core beer portfolio includes many locally loved brands in Australia and New Zealand such as XXXX, Little Creatures, James Squire, Stone & Wood, Emerson’s, Speight’s and Panhead. Lion also has an enviable portfolio of NZ wine brands, a craft spirits distribution arm in Australia in Vanguard Luxury Brands and Yarra Valley-based Four Pillars Gin. Lion employs close to 2000 people across its markets and in 2025 has been B Corporation Certified.www.lionco.com