Coca-Cola Europacific Partners New Zealand (CCEP NZ) has announced the appointment of Wendy Rayner as its new Managing Director, making her the first Kiwi woman to hold the position in Aotearoa.
Rayner has been promoted to the local MD position following 11 years within the organisation as General Manager of Strategy and Brand for CCEP NZ across New Zealand and the Pacific. She brings a wealth of experience to the new role with a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing the business with much loved global and local brands in volatile economic conditions and a competitive marketplace.
“After more than a decade with the business, it’s an honour to lead our fantastic team here in Aotearoa. Alongside an incredibly talented leadership team I’m looking forward to getting stuck into the work with a laser focus on what’s important and will drive business growth,” says Rayner.
Rayner says her leadership style is about being open, authentic and prioritising strong, collaborative relationships.
“Our customers and suppliers, and of course our team, are central to what we do, and we wouldn’t exist without them. We’ll look to how we can continue to partner with each other and work together to keep pace with the changing market and expectations,” adds Rayner.
In outlining her vision for the role, Rayner stresses renewed momentum for the business in continuing CCEP NZ’s roadmap towards decarbonisation and emissions reductions across its sites.
“We’ve progressed so much in the past few years, including achieving the carbon neutral certification at our Putāruru bottling site and I’m particularly focused on accelerating this area of the business. I get really engaged when I learn from others and by working closely together with my team, we have a pipeline of sustainability projects that support our leadership position and we don’t want to take our foot off the pedal on that,” says Rayner.
“We’re a global company and that affords us access to significant frameworks and best practice, and I want to ensure we are adapting global innovation and models into a local context that will work best here in Aotearoa. That’s a powerful combination we can tap into.”
Rayner concludes, “We have an ambitious strategy that goes to the heart of our customers’ and consumers’ needs, a committed and high-performing team, and I look forward to navigating us through the next exciting chapter.”
