Andrew O'Brien has over 20 years of experience in the global drinks industry. He began his career in 1994 with Southcorp Wines and has since held several senior leadership roles in Australia and New Zealand. In 2012, he was appointed General Manager of Southeast Asia, India, Japan and Korea based in Singapore. He has expanded his role to include markets in the Middle East and Africa. O'Brien has a solid reputation for nurturing strategic partnerships and fostering sustainable growth in emerging markets.

1. BIO BRIEF
With over 20 years of experience in the
global drinks industry, Andrew O’Brien
began his career with TWE when he first
joined Southcorp Wines as a Fine Wine
Ambassador in 1994.
Since then, he has held various senior
leadership roles including General Manager
of Southcorp’s Fine Wine Division in
Australia, General Manager of the Fosters
Group based in New Zealand and General
Manager of Sales for TWE Australia.
In 2012, O’Brien was appointed the
General Manager of South East Asia,
India, Japan and Korea and has been
based in Singapore to manage, grow
and develop the South Asian, South East
Asian, Korean and Japanese markets.
He has earned a solid reputation and
outstanding track record in nurturing
strategic business partnerships and
fostering long-term sustainable growth in
emerging market conditions which to date,
has seen his team and business almost
triple in size.
Asaresult,O’Brienhasalsonowexpanded
his geographical focus to also include the
markets of Middle East and Africa.
If you ask people what they’d say about
me, being driven and competitive are
certainly two of those things.
Q How would your employees
describe you?
I would like to think that they
would also say I am approachable.
As you can see in the office, I have
an open door and encourage a flat
structure.
We are not a huge business here;
there are only about 40 people in the
office. I think my staff would say I am quite positive and that I
am able to have a laugh and an enjoyable time at work.
At the end of the day, we work in the wine industry. We do
not get up every morning to save lives. What we do is make,
market and sell great products which people enjoy.
Q How would you describe the culture of the wine industry?
It is a funny business because ultimately, it is
agricultural. To make wine, you need to grow grapes;
you need to then ferment those grapes; and you need to
bottle them.
From there, we then take those products, which are made
in many countries, and we really market them and bring them
to life through branding. Our job is to really build brands,
particularly here in Asia. I suppose at the very core of it, we
are storytellers. Our job is to really tell the stories of these
great brands, and there are some amazing stories.
Q Tell me about yourself. How did
you find yourself in the wine
industry?
I probably ended up in this industry
through my family history. I was
born in country New South Wales
in Australia but I moved to Adelaide
when I was about eight years old and I
ended up studying there.
South Australia is the home of the
Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale wine
growing districts.
My parents have a passionate love
of wine and I think it all started from there. One of my great
passions after coming out of college was enjoying wine; so I
coupled that passion with a job in the industry.
I started off with a company called Rémy Martin which
is a very famous French firm that looks after champagnes
and cognacs. I started off with them in a sales role and
then went into a marketing role in South Australia and
continued from there.
Q What is your leadership style?
I see myself as a very collaborative leader. I am
very focused on culture; something that is very
important to me and certainly to this business. I like to
think that I set a good example for my employees and that I
create a fairly positive environment here. That is also very
important here in Asia in particular.
It is fair to say that I am also very driven and competitive.
14 ISSUE 16.5 HRMASIA.COM
LEADERS TALK HR
15ISSUE 16.5 HRMASIA.COM
LEADERS TALK HR
As the largest listed wine company
in the world, Treasury Wine Estates
boasts over 80 wine brands within
its ranks. Andrew O’Brien, the
organisation’s General Manager for
Southeast Asia, India, the Middle East
and Africa, says the company aims to
be a passionate storyteller for each of
its distinctive products
Sham Majid
sham@hrmasia.com.sg
POWER
STORY
OF A
THE

2. 16 17ISSUE 16.5 HRMASIA.COM ISSUE 16.5 HRMASIA.COM
LEADERS TALK HR LEADERS TALK HR
I love: Spending time with people across all aspects of my life - family,
professionally, and socially
I dislike: Lost opportunities. I pride myself on my negotiation skills and believe a win/win is almost
always possible if you hang in long enough and listen well
My inspiration is: My uncle who sadly passed away too early. He was a dynamic and charismatic man
who inspired me to join the hospitality industry at a young age
My biggest weakness is: I’m a man occasionally prone to excess. I’ve had to watch my consumption
over the years of all things gastronomic!
In five years’ time, I’d like to be: At the top of my game but at the same time having achieved a
better work/life/health balance
Favourite quote: “Wine should be taken frequently and not seriously” – Anonymous. It’s such a great
quote, and I wish I knew who the source was!
ME MYSELF I
Q How does your organisation navigate around the
different cultural aspects in the regions?
I think this is probably one of our specialities. The
region that we work in here (Southeast Asia, South Asia, the
Middle East, and Africa) has a multiplicity of markets. What
we’ve been very good at is exactly in this aspect of managing
cultural differences.
To start with, we have about 45 people around the region
who come from 16 different countries. Hence, we ourselves are
very culturally diverse.
From there, it is about making sure we have the right people
to advise us and the right people on the ground to work with.
It also requires a lot of homework and understanding of legal,
cultural, and even religious issues.
It is something I think we have grown a pretty good muscle for.
Q How would you describe your company culture?
From a corporate point of view, it is about being
collaborative, positive and focused.
Q Treasury Wine Estates employs more than 3,500
people around the world in four regions. What are some
key HR challenges for the organisation?
I came here about four years ago and I think the main
challenge for us has been that Treasury Wine Estates itself
isn’t necessarily an “employer of choice” in Asia.
People know our brands. So, when you say Penfolds, Wolf
Blass or Beringer, people will say they know those brands.
But, they don’t know that the owner behind those brands is
Treasury Wine Estates.
Our first challenge is better establishing ourselves an employer
of choice in Asia. The other challenge is getting great local talent.
We have found it increasingly hard, particularly here in Singapore
and in the region. I think these are the two big HR challenges.
Q Why do you think it is tough to get local talent?
To be honest, we often struggle with this. In fact,
we recently had a meeting with the Economic
Development Board (EDB) to discuss what we need to do to
overcome the issue, as well as other opportunities. Trying to
find talent, particularly in marketing, sales, finance and HR, is
actually proving to be quite difficult. However, it is something
we haven’t given up on and we are working with EDB and
recruiters because ultimately, we feel that it is better if we can
get local resources into the company. As an organisation, we
have grown significantly. With 3,500 employees worldwide;
our market capitalisation is nearly AUD$6.9 billion and we
are a top 50-listed company in Australia. We are also now the
largest listed wine company globally. This business here in
Singapore was in a much smaller office in Newton four years
ago and since then, we have tripled our size in terms of people.
Finding the right local talent is something that we are certainly
committed to as we continue to grow.
Certainly here in the region and across the business, we are
very respectful but very competitive at the same time.
We are very big on collaboration and we have to be, given
the diversity of the organisation. We have very big ambitions
to grow in this office, this region and in Asia, and our growth
trajectory is significant.
We really create a very positive environment for everyone
to excel and grow. Going back to the point of not being too
serious, instead of having a reception area like a normal
corporate organisation would have, we have a wine bar!
We like to have a little bit of fun too, because it is a great
product and it is about being social and having an enjoyable
time trying out the different brands.
We try to create a culture where there is an opportunity to
have a bit of a laugh and to spend some time together.
Q How do you interact with your staff?
I interact on many levels. From a base point of view,
we have a number of communication vehicles.
That can be as simple as a monthly newsletter that I send
out to the team to give everybody an update, since we are quite
spread out between Africa, the Middle East or different parts
of Southeast Asia. It is something that is penned by me in a
very relaxed manner just to keep everyone updated about what
is happening in the region. I travel a lot, so I often write about
what I’ve seen on my travels.
We also have organised town halls as another
communication vehicle to get all of the team together,
whether be it in person, on the phone or through video links.
That’s also to update all employees on what is going on
corporately, globally and what the business is up to. At the
same time, we also share some wins, some opportunities, and
some celebrations with the team.
On top of that, we also have bar sessions. On Thursdays
and Fridays, we like to open up the wine bar and I take it as
a personal opportunity to spend some time with everyone in
the team. I think it is a great time to be in a relaxed and social
environment where we can get a feel about what’s happening
with the team.
Q What kind of career progression programmes do you
have in place?
We have a centralised HR function based out of
Australia. Within that are some fantastic programmes.
We have an amazing leadership framework and development
programme that has been organised and it is now up to us to
embed it into each of our regions.
The thing I like about it is that it really gives our
employees control over their own development. It is very
much based around how we and our employees use that
to drive their careers. It really empowers them to take
ownership of their careers.
In addition to that, we have recently embarked on a
programme using an external firm which we’ve called
“Veraison”. That considers our top 40 high-potential
talents globally who are seen as the next senior leaders of
our organisation. We bring them together three times over
the space of nine months and work through individualised
programmes over who they are, and what can make them
a better person, which will therefore make them better
leaders.
Q What is the most challenging aspect of your role?
I think it is the multiplicity of markets. There
are just so many different countries, continents,
and consumers with different set of laws, market entry
regulations and levels of maturity. That’s probably the piece
which is exciting because that means we’ve got to be agile,
entrepreneurial and we’ve got to do things quite differently.
As much as it is probably the most challenging thing, it
is also the most exciting. I think that’s what attracts great
people here too, because there is never a boring moment.
You’re always doing something different with a different
country and market.
One of the exciting things for us right now is that we’ve
taken on the African region and we haven’t really had a
very established business there at all. We’re embarking on
opening up 15 different countries in Africa.
But just as exciting is working in a mature market such as
Singapore, with many more mature wine consumers.
Q What is your top tip for aspiring leaders?
Be authentic. Be willing to have the difficult
conversations and don’t steer away from that.
Having difficult and courageous conversations is really
important in this day and age.
You should also stay true to your beliefs.
Balancing wine with sport
It’s not all about wine at Treasury Wine Estates. The company also
engages in internal sports activities independently organised by its
employees, says Andrew O’Brien, General Manager of Southeast Asia,
India, the Middle East, and Africa at Treasury Wine Estates.
“For example, there is tennis Tuesdays, badminton Wednesdays, and
running Thursdays. These sports activities which are organised by our
internal “social club” have become embedded into our culture,” he explains.
So, which sports has O’Brien signed up for?
“I’m a bit of a tennis player so I join in on tennis Tuesdays,” he says.
“I’m not a runner; so I don’t do running with the guys on Thursdays. In fact,
I’ve now just started taking up badminton on Wednesdays with the group.”