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When Pirate Life first swung open its doors two and a half years ago we never could have imagined the ride that we were about to embark on. The journey has taken us across this beautiful country we call home and beyond our shores as we launched our beers in Australia, NZ, the UK, and a few parts of South East Asia.
As our brewery grew, to keep up, so did our crew. We now have a staff of 40 people worldwide; most here at 89 South Road helping us brew the good stuff, others are dotted across the country and around the world helping to spread the good word about Pirate Life Brewing. Over two and a half years we have managed to build a team of hardworking, passionate and knowledgeable people in every aspect of our organisation. Their dedication to producing and promoting quality Aussie beer is second to none.
Earlier this year before our current CEO Michael Cameron took off for his fifth overseas trip in as many months, the board met and made a huge decision... To allow MC to focus on international expansion, and to help Jack and Red guide the team in finding more ways to make and distribute excellent beer we needed to find a new CEO. Someone who had experience in fast-growing companies, someone who had a passion for producing high quality products and most importantly someone who loves beer.
After a global search which saw more than 200 highly qualified applicants, Pirate Life is incredibly pleased to announce the appointment of John Phinney as CEO. Mr Phinney has a considerable track record of building branded food and drink businesses across the globe and most importantly his favourite Australian beer is our very own IIPA.
Most recently, Mr Phinney was Chief Project Officer at Sundrop Farms, an innovative sustainable food production company, where he looked after building new teams and facilities across the globe. This included time as Managing Director for Australia, delivering a first of its kind greenhouse and sustainable energy facility in right here in SA. During this time, John grew Sundrop's Australian business from five to 150 people and picked up the questionable habit of supporting the Adelaide Crows.
Prior to Sundrop, John built branded beverage businesses in Brazil and helped manage a manufacturing business in the USA. He has studied literature, architecture, strategy and finance, is a grateful husband to his wife Erin and proud father to an American-born son and Australian-born daughter.
John joins the business at an incredibly exciting time and we are stoked to have his input as we embark on the next chapter of the Pirate Life story. We hope you join in welcoming him to the crew and abusing him for his choice of football team.
Cheers,
PLB Crew
