Retail Drinks appoints new Head of Policy & Advocacy

Retail Drinks Australia has appointed Kary Petersen as its new Head of Policy & Advocacy as of today. He takes over from Jonathan Russell, who held the position for 15 months.

Michael Waters, CEO of Retail Drinks, congratulated Petersen on his appointment and noted his experience within and outside of government would be an asset to the organisation.

"Following an extensive recruitment process, we are thrilled to have someone of Kary's calibre join the team. His two decades of experience in roles developing and driving government policy will be enormously valuable to Retail Drinks in continuing our strong advocacy work on behalf of our members," he said.

Petersen comes to the role with experience in public affairs and advocacy across the public and private sectors. He has been a Policy & Communications Director for senior NSW politicians and a Corporate Affairs Executive for a large public sector agency.

He's also held senior roles at a government relations consulting firm and a prominent national industry association. Most recently, he founded a public affairs agency working with businesses and NGOs to design and implement government relations and communication strategies.

Petersen has a track record navigating complex policy environments and said he's looking forward to driving significant and meaningful change at a policy and regulatory level.

"I am thrilled to join Retail Drinks and to contribute to the strong advocacy work on behalf of the members. I look forward to fostering productive relationships that drive positive impactful change for the industry," he said.

Waters concluded: "I would also like to acknowledge and thank Jonathan for his fantastic work over the past 15 months leading the policy and advocacy team and wish him well in his next role."

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