MEET OUR PANELLISTS

Shannon O'Connell

Chief Commercial Officer & NZ Business Director

Beak and Johnston

As the Group Chief Commercial Officer & New Zealand Business Director of Beak & Johnston, Shannon leads the development of the sales and marketing strategy across Australia, and manages our business operations in New Zealand. Shannon is responsible for delivering to customers needs across the categories of chilled convenience meal solutions, such as ready meals, pastry, soup and sous vide.

Shannon is a high impact, high energy Executive leader, with a passion and ability to build and motivate engaged teams to achieve sustainable and strategic results. With values of achievement, transparency, generosity and adventure and a purpose to empower belief and strength to achieve your best in business and life.

Over 20 years’ experience within the FMCG industry, previous success includes the delivery of outstanding results across complex businesses and various functions from sales, marketing, operations and product innovation. Building collaborative and trusted relationships with key stakeholders is a key strength, along with a passion to support future rising stars in business and actively mentor in this area.

Shannon has worked with both privately owned and multinational organisations such as Nestle, Allied Pinnacle, Vittoria Food and Beverage and Goodman Fielder. Shannon resides in the Sydney area and leads an active lifestyle, along with her family of three children

Tanya Barden

Chief Executive Officer

Australian Food and Grocery Council

Tanya Barden is the CEO of the Australian Food and Grocery Council, which helps food and grocery suppliers grow and make a positive impact by delivering valuable insights, connectivity, proactive influence and collective action on commercial, economic, regulatory, health and environmental issues impacting the sector.

This role culminates Tanya’s career, which has been spent in and around policy and regulatory issues that impact the industry (such as energy, environment and industry economics) while working in government, the private sector and even running her own on-line organic grocery business.

While Tanya has broad knowledge of the food and grocery industry, she has a particularly good understanding of economics and environmental issues, having spent five years as the AFGC’s Director of Economics, Trade and Sustainability prior to becoming CEO as well as chair of the National Packaging Covenant Industry Association from 2015 – 2017.

Tanya holds Bachelor of Economics/ Bachelor of Arts degrees and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Belinda Driscoll

Managing Director Australia and New Zealand

Kimberly Clark

Belinda Driscoll is the Managing Director for Kimberly-Clark Australia and New Zealand, responsible for leading the company’s strategy and business operations in the region.

Belinda joined Kimberly-Clark as Senior Marketing Director in 2020. Under her leadership the business has launched a number of new sustainable product innovations and established a strong pipeline for future growth. Prior to Kimberly-Clark, Belinda spent 17 years at Johnson & Johnson, serving in several international and local leadership roles in consumer, whilst most recently she led the largest business unit within J&J Medical.

Belinda has extensive experience managing sophisticated global retailers, she is passionate about sustainability and she’s a strong advocate for building culturally diverse and inclusive workplace cultures.

Marcelle Eid

National Account Manager

Ferrero Australia

Marcelle is a West Wing fan and a FMCG enthusiast – in that order. After achieving a Bachelor of Communications, Marcelle began her career in the world of point-of-sale production before her tenure at Ferrero. Since stepping into FMCG, Marcelle has continued to diversify her experience, working as a trade marketer, and going on to engage with a variety of customers within the account management space where she is now National Account Manager.

In 2022, Marcelle was awarded the AFGC’s Trading Partner Forum Future Leader’s Scholarship, part of the Joe Berry programme for her thought-provoking work on the application and opportunities of the Metaverse within the FMCG industry.