29 September 2010 Lunch with Rob Murray, CEO Lion Nathan National Foods

There are millions of blogs on leadership and the role of a CEO but rarely do you hear a CEO in person expounding on his role.  Normally they are spruiking the company or speaking on the latest organisation issue such as gender diversity.  On 29 September 2010 the Cambridge Society of NSW hosted a lunch for Rob Murray at the Union, University and Schools Club.  

Rob Murray is the Chief Executive Lion Nathan National Foods(LNNF) which employs close to 8,000 people across Australia and New Zealand and delivers revenues in excess of AU$5.6 billion.  LNNF is Australia’s largest dairy and fruit juice company, and a major brewer in Australia and New Zealand.  Brands include icons such as Berri, Dairy Farmers, XXXX, Tooheys, Hahn, Speights, Steinlager, King Island, Petaluma, etc.  Rob Murray is probably the most successful Cambridge alumnus (Trinity) working in Sydney today and kindly agreed to speak. 

The lunch operated under Chatham House Rules and because Rob had generously supplied copious amounts of two excellent wines from the Lion Nathan cellars, a Petaluma Riesling and a Stonier Pinot Noir, the conversation flowed freely.  In particular the audience found his answer to question What do CEOs actually do? particularly interesting.  I was able to post a blog about his answer because it is in the public domain.

In passing the funniest moment of the lunch was when Rob began by saying that he could only work in an industry where people paid cash for useful products and not parasitic industries like law and investment banking.  This of course eliminated 17 of the 18 guests present, and then the remaining guest asked somewhat plaintively, “I suppose that includes psychologists?”

Rob replied in his Geordie accent and a beaming smile, “Of course.”