Divisional CFO of Coca-Cola Amatil, developing a roadmap for success

We recently sat down with Stuart Comino, CFO Australian Beverages of Coca-Cola Amatil as part of our “Head Honcho” interview series. Stuart has held numerous positions for CCA. He is currently responsible for both the financial and commercial management of the Australian Beverages business, with revenues of over $2.7billion p.a. Stuart provides leadership to over 300 people across Australia and plays a key advisory role to the MD, Executive Management and the Board.

In the interview, we explore the challenges Stuart has faced and how he has developed an effective roadmap to deal with a rapidly evolving marketplace. Stuart spoke passionately about Leadership and the importance around setting direction and clarity, surrounding yourself with great people and empowering them. He also shared the value of Communication and how critical this has become in effectively managing a consumer goods business that is dealing with so many variables. Stuart aptly put it as: “We have to effectively keep the plane flying whilst changing the engines”.

In addition we explored the future of finance within CCA. Stuart was quick to highlight the importance of developing and acquiring talent with the right blend of capability and competence. People that understand the value of business partnering and can deal with constant change. One of Stuart’s key learnings was to not being afraid of tackling the hard conversations, either internal or external.