About

Lion is one of Australasia’s largest food and beverage companies employing around 6,700 people across Australia and New Zealand. Lion’s history extends back to 1840, marketing premium brands in the dairy, juice, soy, beer, cider, fine wine, spirits and alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages categories. Lion’s diverse portfolio collectively generates revenues of around $5bn USD each year and is one of the region’s largest purchasers of agricultural goods and an integral component of the retail, hospitality and tourism industries. The legal division is led by general counsel and external relations director Libby Davidson, appointed in 2015 to lead the external relations and nutrition team and is Lion’s company secretary and sustainability director. Davidson holds over ten years’ experience within the food and beverage sector, having previously spent a decade with PepsiCo and Tricon Global Restaurants in various in-house roles in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, United Kingdom and Europe. Since Kirin’s acquisition of Lion Nathan and the subsequent merger with National Foods, the legal team has performed various roles within the company. Some of its realms of responsibility cover matters in relation to group-wide competition law, M&A transactions, board governance, trademarks and intellectual property, food regulation and policy and sustainability. The legal team continue to support the company’s goal of long-term sustainable growth, being a core contributor to its strategic assets of people, brands, production facilities and supply chain. In 2017, the Lion legal function was integral in bringing a number of significant Australian beer and cider brands to Lion’s New Zealand portfolio, with Lion NZ now undertaking the exclusive distribution arrangement in New Zealand for the portfolio of AB Inbev’s Australian brands. In the same year they assisted the company in the sale of its interest in Warrnambool Cheese and Butter to Canadian company Saputo and also in signing a multi-year distribution agreement with DXCEL International, a major development in the company’s plans to develop its presence in China.