The chief executive of Endeavour Group, the largest liquor retailer in Australia and the biggest operator of poker machines, says the company expects to increasingly be held to account on its harm minimisation strategies in alcohol and gambling, and accepts that some investors will never consider the company because of ethical issues.

Steve Donohue said businesses across many industries face dilemmas as environmental, social and governance issues come increasingly under the spotlight, and maximising profits in the short-term simply no longer works as strategy for companies.