or Craig Baldie, who now leads New Zealand while overseeing strategy, digital and sustainability across the group, the responsibility is focused on guiding a long-established business through ongoing change with clarity. Baldie spoke to Inside Retail’s sister publication, Inside FMCG, about leadership, operational alignment and the work involved in carrying a 180-year-old company forward through an evolving beverage landscape. Inside FMCG (IFMCG):You’ve stepped into the newly created role of chief operating officer at the same time Lion is unifying its Australia and New Zealand operations. What does that shift mean in practical terms for teams on the ground in New Zealand? Craig Baldie (CB): With the belief that great businesses never stand still, we’ve been transforming Lion to create a powerful platform for growth. Uniting our business as one will build on that momentum. Practically speaking, our Australia and New Zealand teams have been brought together where we need world-class capability and we’ve quickly realised we have many of the same challenges and opportunities in both countries. Naturally there are nuances between our cultures, customers and consumers, but the collaboration is proving invaluable. For many, however, it’s business as usual. We continue to have dedicated NZ brand, marketing and sales teams to ensure we stay laser-focused on in-market delivery. IFMCG: Your remit now spans sales and marketing in New Zealand, alongside strategy, digital and technology, and sustainability. It’s a broad brief. How do you keep those moving parts aligned without losing commercial momentum? CB: Lion in New Zealand is in great shape. We delivered strong results last year, despite the tough market conditions. Our ruthless simplification and focus on people and brands continues to pay real dividends. So the change is well timed. We have an excellent team of senior leaders who have stepped up and given me the bandwidth to move into digital and technology, sustainability, and strategy. We talk a lot about enabling leaders to lead from the balcony rather than the dance floor. This does two things: You see things differently when you get out of the detail, and you also create space for people to get on and do their jobs. IFMCG: Lion’s B Corp certification marks a milestone for the entire business, not just individual brands. What did that process challenge internally and where did it affirm what Lion already believed about itself? CB: Becoming a B Corp is a major milestone. The philosophy of being a force for good is deeply embedded in our business but we knew the bar to achieve B Corp standards was extremely high. We had our heads down over many years working on initiatives, policies, partnerships etc, driven by doing the right thing. Becoming a B Corp is holistic and independent verification of our positive impact. We’re also driven by the key B Corp principle of creating a movement by showing it’s possible to prioritise people, planet and purpose, alongside profit. IFMCG: Lion has achieved its 2030 science-based carbon targets seven years early and while sourcing 100 per cent renewable electricity across operations. From an operating perspective, what does it take to turn sustainability ambition into measurable execution? CB: You must have the commitment, talent and capability entrenched in your business, along with the right incentives to ensure ambition is translated into achievements. Equally, it is important to be transparent on limitations – sustainability can’t be about perfection. We want all businesses to be making steady progress. One of our values, that is now 21 years old, is ‘do the right thing for the long term’. This gives our people permission to consider sustainability as a business goal over extended time horizons. As evidenced by Lion’s achievements, this has built a culture where business cases with sustainability co-benefits and creating shared value are encouraged. IFMCG: Lion’s operating-model change has been positioned as an “Australasian beverage powerhouse” built on more than 180 years of heritage. How do you balance that history with the need to move quickly in a category that’s constantly evolving? CB: Our incredible legacy is a story of continuous evolution. That is why we are still thriving. We obsess about the consumer and what we need to do to stay relevant. A great example of this is the wellbeing trend and the impact that has had on consumer needs. We saw this early and we took Speight’s, a beloved mainstream brand, and created Speight’s Summit Ultra in New Zealand, and more recently Hahn Ultra in Australia. IFMCG: Leadership transitions can be defining moments. As the new structure beds down and a new CEO steps in, what feels most important for you to model as a leader right now? CB: As a leader, you must have absolute clarity on what success looks like; then you have to create the conditions to drive results and to give people the remit to own those results. If I think specifically about what leaders should model, there are many things, but right now unity feels particularly important. In my role, for Lion to be the powerhouse success we’re driving for, we need to unite our people around our strategy and the power of being one Lion in Australia and New Zealand. IFMCG: With digital and technology now sitting within your portfolio, how are you thinking about transformation? Is it about efficiency, better customer insight, sharper brand execution or something else entirely? CB: Digital and technology is deeply embedded in Lion’s strategy. We are seeing measurable commercial results because of disciplined investments in modernising our core platforms, strong data management and improving our team’s digital capability. The next phase is about embedding analytics and AI into everyday workflows and helping our people make better, faster decisions. The result will be more efficient operations, sharper forecasting, stronger customer execution, and a more responsive organisation. Ultimately, our transformation is about bringing together our people, tools, and capabilities to deliver better outcomes for the business and our customers. Further reading: Lion declares March 23 ‘National Local Day’