SPC boss poaches former beer colleague John Harwood to be company’s new chief commercial officer

Listed fruit processor SPC Global has poached Carlton & United Breweries executive John Harwood to be the company’s new chief commercial officer.

Mr Harwood will commence at SPC — which recently returned to the Australian Securities Exchange after two decades following a merger with The Original Juice Company — on January 6.

In a statement to the market, SPC said Mr Hardwood was a seasoned professional with extensive experience in sales and marketing.

Most recently, he served as the transformational lead at Carlton & United Breweries, part of Australia’s biggest beer company Asahi Beverages whose brands also include Victoria Bitter and Great Northern.

The latest appointment means Mr Hardwood will join his former beer colleague Robert Iervasi, now the boss of SPC.

Previously, Mr Iervasi served as chief executive of Asahi for four years.

Mr Iervasi said Mr Hardwood was an exceptional leader with a proven track record of achieving growth and commercial excellence.

“John has a natural talent in building customer relationships, as well as ensuring that our growth plans are aligned with each channel that we supply. I am honoured to be working with John again,” he said.

Mr Hardwood said he was thrilled to join SPC, known for its canned fruit, tomatoes, baked beans and spaghetti.

“I look forward to collaborating with the talented team and our customers to drive growth, innovation, and impactful results in the years ahead,” he said.

It comes just months after SPC complaints triggered an investigation by Federal regulators Italian tinned tomato exporters are breaching competition laws.

Australia’s Anti-Dumping Commission is investigating whether canned tomatoes exported from Italy and sold as Coles and Woolworths home brand products are being dumped at cheap prices to damage local growers.

The revelations in October came after months of quiet claims by SPC about falls in the prices of tinned tomatoes being exported from Italy this decade.

SPC claimed in its Anti-Dumping Commission complaint Italian company Mutti had enjoyed government subsidies and had expanded from being a major European player to big roles in Australia and the US.