Frucor Suntory has appointed Allison Yorston as its first ever CMO as the beverage company continues its push to expand its presence in Oceania.
In March, Frucor Suntory announced plans for a $400 million beverage production facility in Ipswich, Queensland. CEO Darren Fullerton told Food & Drink Business the investment would deliver greater capacity, flexibility and opportunities for the company’s brands and its people.
Yorston has been with Frucor Suntory for four years as the marketing director of energy and transformation. She has been heavily involved in growing the company’s energy drinks portfolio, most recently through the V Energy ‘Bugs’ campaign to launch V Refresh.
She has also worked on the renewal of Frucor Suntory’s partnership with PepsiCo in New Zealand, reinvigorating the NZ juice and carbonated soft drink (CSD) portfolio, and scaling the BOSS Coffee ready-to-drink (RTD) brand in Australian and New Zealand markets.
Yorston has more than 20 years of FMCG marketing experience, including roles with Unilever ANZ, Arnott’s Group, Fonterra, and Sanitarium Health Food Company.
Yorston said, “I’m proud to be taking the lead on our business’ marketing and creative programs and to play a part in building our portfolio of relevant brands and products that our consumers can enjoy. The launch of V Refresh is a wonderful example of our marketing and innovation teams working together to create a brand-new beverage that delivers enjoyment for our consumers.
“While Frucor Suntory is a multi-national corporation, we have a strong local presence in Oceania and I believe that local footprint – along with our amazing team culture, great work and consumer centricity – truly gives us an edge in understanding what Aussie and Kiwi consumers really want.”
Yorston has started in the role and is based at Frucor Suntory’s New Zealand office in Auckland.
Meanwhile, the new V Refresh ad campaign launched in New Zealand last month and has just been released in Australia.
“We know our consumers love the original taste of V Energy, but there are so many different ‘energy need’ occasions across the day. This understanding led us to develop a lighter drink that still offers the burst of energy and just happens to be sugar-free,” said Yorston.
