Terry Davis - toasting success all day long

What are you most proud of in your organisation in 2007?

Diversification, expansion and acquisitions which have enabled CCA to get a few steps closer to its goal of being able to provide a "beverage for every consumption occasion" - starting in the morning with a breakfast Goulburn Valley orange juice and a Grinders coffee, a Mount Franklin water or Goulburn Valley flavoured milk at lunch, a Coke at 3pm, Powerade Isotonic after an evening run, then relaxing with a Jim Beam and Cola or Bluetongue beer at the end of the day - as well as Piper Heidsieck or ABSOLUT VODKA for celebrations.

When I came to CCA in 2001, my aim was to expand and diversify our beverage portfolio. In 2001, CCA was 95 per cent dependent on carbonated soft drinks for revenue - this year that figure is 67 per cent and falling, thanks to the expansion into water, sports drinks, energy drinks, coffee and ice tea, as well as packaged fruit and vegetables at SPC Ardmona, and now, premium alcohol brands.

The most significant shift occurred in August 2006 when CCA formed a joint venture with the world's second largest (by volume) brewer, SABMiller. This JV company, Pacific Beverages, began selling and distributing three imported beers (Peroni Nastro Azzurro, Miller Genuine Draft and Pilsner Urquell) and also entered into an agreement with global spirits company Maxxium to sell and distribute their premium portfolio of spirits including Jim Beam, ABSOLUT VODKA, Piper Heidsieck and Cointreau.

In December, Pacific Beverages acquired John Singleton's Bluetongue Brewery, which makes Bluetongue brands including Bondi Blonde.

In sustainability, we achieved what we believe is world's best practice for water efficiency for a beverage company and we published and launched our first sustainability report, Citizenship@CCA in May 2007.

What was the hardest part of your own job in 2007?

Talking to the wife of Andrew McAuley, a CCA employee for many years who was lost at sea kayaking to New Zealand and understanding the anguish she went through. CCA has set up an education fund for Finlay, Andrew's son, as a tribute to Andrew's courage and determination.

What's the biggest priority for your organisation in 2008?

Better serving our customers. We have concentrated on strengthening our already powerful distribution networks in Australia, New Zealand and Indonesia.

In sustainability we will continue to save water in 2008 and bring our water use ratios down even further. We are building two massive underground water tanks at Northmead, our Sydney operations, to harvest rainwater for use on our site, and to irrigate a local community park. We have also engaged a sustainability manager to work with our customers to ensure best practice in this field.

What do Australian CEOs need to do better?

Be much more proactive in bringing concepts and change programs to both state and federal governments to reduce red tape, waste and inefficiency to make Australia a better place to do business in.

If you were PM, what's the first thing you would fix?

Australia is fast disappearing as a country that 'makes things'. Urgent attention to accelerated depreciation rates is a must if Australia is to retain and grow its manufacturing base. So immediate amendments to the taxation system to ensure that manufacturing companies like ours can invest more into research and development - product and packaging innovation are two of the keys to growing our markets and fending off global competition.

This would mean higher tax depreciation rates to allow us to invest more in "green" options for our operations. At present, the cost and payback for alternative energy systems, like solar or wind, are prohibitive.

I would also seek to rigorously enforce the 'no whaling' policy in Australia's territorial waters in the Antarctica.

What big lesson did you learn this year?

Don't bet on federal election outcomes!

Who has inspired you this year?

My rowing partner, Kim Mackney. Arriving at the World Masters Rowing Championships in Zagreb in September with a seized lower back, he managed to put aside the pain to enable us to win two gold medals at the world championships.

What was the highlight of your leisure activities this year?

Hopefully climbing to the top of Mt Kilimanjaro (6,000m) on New Year's Eve then catching a marlin off the coast of Kenya.

Place on Earth you wish you had spent more time?

Outer Mongolia. Fishing for taimen in the unpolluted rivers flowing down from the steppes of Mongolia in an area that regularly gets to minus 40 below zero certainly helps put a perspective on the definition of paradise.

Your New Year's resolution?

Not to make New Year's resolutions!