John Pollaers OAM is Chairman of the Australian Advanced Manufacturing Council. In May 2015 John was appointed Chair of the Federal Government’s Industry and Skills Committee and in April 2016 was appointed as a member of the Prime Minister’s Industry 4.0 Taskforce.
John has a distinguished International career in the Consumer Products and Advanced Manufacturing industries.
A noted leader and proven international chief executive, John is an experienced and transformational CEO, bringing the combined skills of strategic, cultural, fiscal and operational excellence to the organisations he leads.
He was CEO and Managing Director at Pacific Brands where he led the revitalisation of the culture of the company and was recognised as further simplifying the business model and successfully driving performance of key businesses.
Prior to Pacific Brands, John was Chief Executive Officer of Foster’s Group Limited, from May 2011, after joining the company as Managing Director of Carlton & United Breweries in 2010.
As Chairman of the Australian Advanced Manufacturing Council, John has been instrumental in building close engagement with the Government and media on the dynamics and potential for advanced manufacturing in Australia. He speaks widely on the issues of skills development, the imperatives of 21st Century global business, and the necessity of building meaningful collaboration between research and industry.
Before Foster’s, John had a distinguished career in consumer products including numerous senior roles at Diageo plc including President Asia Pacific and Managing Director, Australasia where he was also a member of the Diageo Group Executive Committee.
In 2012 John was appointed to the Expert Advisory Committee of the National Preventative Health Agency. He is Co-Chairman of the National Breast Cancer Foundation Council and an Advisory Board Member at the Centre For Workplace Leadership at Melbourne University.
John was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in June 2018, for service to the manufacturing sector, to education, and to business.