Alison Mary Watkins (born 29 December 1962) is an Australian CEO and director. She has had roles at McKinsey, GrainCorp, Berri Limited, and was a group managing director at

Coca-Cola Amatil Coca-Cola Amatil Limited (CCAL) was an Australian bottler of non-alcoholic beverages that existed from 1904 to 2021, when it merged with Coca-Cola European Partners to form Coca-Cola Europacific Partners. It was one of the largest bottlers of ...

from March 2014 to May 2021. She has been a member of the

Reserve Bank of Australia The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) is Australia's central bank and banknote issuing authority. It has had this role since 14 January 1960, when the ''Reserve Bank Act 1959'' removed the central banking functions from the Commonwealth Bank. Th ...

Board since December 2020, having previously served on their Takeover Panel. She has also held a number of non-executive directorships, including at the Centre for Independent Studies. In June 2021, she became Chancellor of the

University of Tasmania The University of Tasmania (UTAS) is a public research university, primarily located in Tasmania, Australia. Founded in 1890, it is Australia's fourth oldest university. Christ College (University of Tasmania), Christ College, one of the unive ...

Early and personal life

Watkins grew up on a farm in

Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...

, Australia. After boarding school, she studied for a

Bachelor of Commerce A Bachelor of Commerce (BCom or B Com) is an undergraduate degree in commerce, accounting, mathematics, economics, and management-related subjects. The degree is mainly offered in Commonwealth nations. Structure Bachelor of Commerce The Bac ...

at the

. During this period, she met her now husband, Rod, with whom she has four children. After their university studies, they moved to

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

. Watkins' son, Elliot, is a well known YouTuber by the name Muselk, with over 9 million subscribers on the platform. Her daughter, Ilsa, Is currently in a relationship with Australian YouTuber

LazarBeam Lannan Neville Eacott (born 14 December 1994), better known as LazarBeam, is an Australian YouTuber, professional gamer and Internet personality, known primarily for his video game commentary videos, "comedic riffs" and memes. Eacott began ...

. Another of her daughters, Grace, is the CEO and director of Click Media, a group she established with a group of other Australian content creators and as of 2024 manages 83 well-known Australian creator brands and formerly managed

Career

Watkins' first role was Junior Associate at McKinsey, where she remained for 10 years. In 1999, Watkins moved to ANZ as GGM Strategy & M&A, shifting after 18 months to lead their Regional banking division. She then took a leading role as CEO of Berri Ltd. Her first non-executive directorship was at Just Group. The first listed company she led was GrainCorp Ltd., where she was at the helm for 4 years. She is a former group managing director at Coca-Cola Amatil and is on the board of the

Business Council of Australia The Business Council of Australia (BCA) is an industry association that comprises the chief executives of more than 130 of Australia's biggest corporations. It was formed in 1983 by the merger of the Business Roundtable – a spin-off of the Co ...

. She was appointed a

Member of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Australian honours and awards system, Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Monarch ...

in the 2022 Australia Day Honours for "significant service to business through leadership roles with a range of organisations".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Watkins, Alison 1962 births Living people Members of the Order of Australia Australian businesspeople University of Tasmania alumni Academic staff of the University of Tasmania