Supply Chain Director, Richard Roberts, of Unilever answers Food Magazine’s questions.
I grew up in…
Castle Hill in Sydney NSW
In high school, I was passionate about…
sport
My current role involves…
running the supply chain for Unilever in Australia and New Zealand. This includes planning, customer service, warehouse and distribution, safety, quality and our strong focus on environmental efficiency. I also have overall responsibility for our four Unilever factories in Australia and New Zealand which together manufacture more than 70% of the products we sell in these markets.
Before my current role, I worked in/as/at…
I ran our North Rocks factory in Sydney and before this worked in our Petone factory in New Zealand. During my time at Unilever I have also been the Customer Supply Chain Director, looking after Demand Planning, warehouse and distribution and customer service. Unilever has given me plenty of opportunities to move around.
Studies/training that have helped me in my current role include….
I am a Mechanical Engineer and have been fortunate enough to receive extensive additional training throughout my 20 years with Unilever.
My work is helping to better the food industry by…
protecting and promoting great Australian manufacturing by building two strong manufacturing sites, one at Minto where we make our ice cream products and one at Tatura where we make various savoury products as well as Lipton Ice Tea. We have invested heavily into those sites over the last five years and will continue to do this so that they can become world class operations for us.
The most challenging part of my role is…
being on top of such a broad range of challenges and issues that come your way in a large, global supply chain that we at Unilever are a part of.
The best part of my role is…
The variety of work that I get involved in – there is certainly no time to get bored or stale!
My favourite food is…
being a son of a butcher, I must say that I love the so many different varieties of meat that we have the chance to eat at a good price.
The thing that gets me out of bed in the morning is…
Wanting to be the best that I can be and make a positive difference in the things that I get involved with.
The food industry needs to change…
by constantly looking for ways to improve to make Australian food manufacturers better than any other country at growing and manufacturing food products for the Australian market place.
The current food/brands that we will be eating in 50 years time are…
I wish I was that clever. There must always be a place for good quality foods and products that are good for you that are offered at a reasonable price.
In 50 years, the food industry can look forward to…
adding value to people’s lives in all sorts of ways