Danone Australia and New Zealand have announced the appointment of Kathy Cavill as the new general manager for the region.
Cavill brings with her a wealth of experience, having served at the company for over eleven years. In her most recent role as marketing director for Danone Australia and New Zealand, Cavill has spearheaded various award-winning campaigns including Karicare Toddler’s ‘Feed the Real’ campaign which saw Danone partner with the ‘queen of baby photography’ Anne Geddes to address the pressure that social media places on Australian parents to be pictureperfect, earning Danone 2 Bronze awards for Best Integrated Campaign and Best PR Campaign, as well as the Aptamil Toddler ‘Return Ready’ initiative which aimed to help new parents return to work every day in Australia, earning Danone 3 bronze Effie Awards.
Cavill has also been at the forefront of new product innovations including the expansion of the high protein yoghurt brand YoPRO into new formats, and most recently, innovations in Danone’s early life nutrition portfolio with the launch of the AptaGrow range for fussy eaters and Aptamil’s first toddler milk to contain a blend of both dairy and plant protein – Aptamil Dairy & Plant Blend Toddler Milk.
“I’m thrilled to be leading a business with a long-standing commitment to bring health through food to as many people as possible, and I am committed to continuing to drive the innovation of healthier and more sustainable food and drink products for our local consumers across Australia and New Zealand,” said Cavill.
As a senior female leader and mother of two, Cavill is passionate about Danone’s progressive people policies which has seen Danone be recognised across Australia and New Zealand as a Great Place to Work for the last three years, with paid parental leave of 26 weeks, support for parents going through the IVF and adoption journey, and a new Menopause policy.
“I am honoured to work for a company that is committed to creating an inclusive and diverse workplace, and one which continues to lead the way with policies that anticipate and adapt to the needs of our people.”
Danone Australia and New Zealand has seen some notable achievements in the sustainability space including the commissioning of New Zealand’s first dairy spray drying plant powered exclusively by biomass fuel, Karicare Toddler becoming the first milk formula product in Australia and New Zealand to achieve independent carbon neutral certification for its Karicare Toddler Gold Plus+ Organic and Karicare Toddler Gold Plus+ A2 Protein Milk product ranges, and Danone Oceania becoming Australia and New Zealand’s largest certified BCorp in the food and drink sector, making significant inroads towards Danone’s ambition to be BCorp certified globally by 2025.
Cavill will be building on the success of her predecessor, Rodrigo Lima, who has been promoted to president and representative director of Danone Japan & Korea. Under his leadership over the past five years, Danone Australia and New Zealand has delivered consistent & sustainable growth following several successful business transformations and a strong innovation agenda.
In parallel, Rodrigo was the chairman of the Board of the Danone Saputo Dairy Australia Joint Venture. Encompassing brands such as YoPRO, Activia and Danone Ultimate, Rodrigo led the development and implementation of a new portfolio strategy and a much leaner organisational structure. This initiative resulted in accelerated growth, market share gains and a substantial increase in profitability. Rodrigo leaves behind a stronger & more resilient Danone Australia and New Zealand business with solid foundations for future growth in the region.
Kathy Cavill will transition into her new role as general manager for Danone Australia and New Zealand from 1 September 2023.
