SPC boss Iervasi poaches former Carlton & United Breweries colleague

Robert Iervasi, ex CEO of Carlton & United Breweries, has poached a former colleague from the beer group to help him grow the cannery business.

SPC Global CEO Robert Iervasi. Picture: Arsineh Houspian

SPC Global managing director Robert Iervasi hasn’t wasted any time to start poaching executives from his former employer, Carlton & United Breweries, poaching the brewer’s transformational leader to be the cannery, food and beverage group’s new chief commercial officer.

SPC, which two weeks ago returned to the ASX after a 20-year absence, has appointed John Harwood to commence at the business on January 6. Mr Harwood has extensive experience in sales and marketing and most recently served as the transformation lead at Carlton & United Breweries, part of Asahi Beverages.

Mr Iervasi was appointed as the new boss of SPC in October 2023 and previously was the CEO of Asahi Beverages and its Carlton & United Breweries arm. The beverages and food executive has been quick to refashion the 106-year-old SPC — famous for its tinned spaghetti and baked beans into a leading Australian food business — and in December he led a merger with the ASX-listed The Original Juice Company which saw SPC return to the sharemarket.

On the appointment of Mr Harwood, his former beer colleague, Mr Iervasi said he 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.”

“I’m thrilled to join SPC Global,” said Mr Harwood. “I look forward to collaborating with the talented team and our customers to drive growth, innovation, and impactful results in the years ahead.”

SPC makes a big range of tinned food products, including Vegemite baked beans. Picture: David Caird

Founded in 1918 by a collective of fruit growers in Victoria’s key foodbowl of the Goulburn Valley, it was originally called the Shepparton Fruit Preserving Company where it canned a range of local fruits including pears, peaches and nectarines under the brand name of SPC.

It expanded to canned foods such as spaghetti, baked beans and tomatoes and later gained a listing on the ASX. In 2005 the cannery company was bought out by Coca-Cola Amatil for $700m under the bottler’s strategy to expand its business beyond soft drinks. But the acquisition never really met its financial expectations, and the then loss-making SPC was sold in 2019 for only $40m.

Three months ago SPC, The Original Juice Co and powdered milk business Nature One unveiled a three-way merger to create a new, bigger food manufacturer that would have more than $400m in annual sales and a stronger voice when dealing with the supermarket giants.

The merger has combined SPC’s leading packaged fruit, tomato-based products, baked beans, spaghetti and ready-made meals business with the Singaporean-registered dairy concern Nature One and drinks business Original Juice. Original Juice is a leading juice maker and manufactures a range of high-quality juices, fibres, infused fruits and fruit waters that are sold as branded products or ingredients to customers domestically. Nature One is a Singaporean-registered, Australian-founded dairy business with powdered and baby formula milk products produced in Australia and sold extensively throughout Asia.

Shares in SPC Global last traded at 98c, with a market capitalisation of $193m.