Member Spotlight - Chantale Millard
Chantale Millard
CEO - Maggie Beer Holdings Limited
behind closed doors Adelaide Directors Network Member
Tell us about your current role and the organisation you work for!
I am the CEO of ASX listed company Maggie Beer Holdings Ltd, whose head office is here in SA.
Maggie Beer Holdings owns four premium brands, Maggie Beer Products, Paris Creek Farms Biodynamic Organic Dairy, Saint David Dairy and Hampers & Gifts Australia. All brands are committed to providing premium food & beverage products to consumers. The businesses have operated predominately in national retail and food service sectors, however the recent acquisition of Hampers & Gifts Australia will give the Group a substantial e-commerce and direct to consumer presence.
What is your greatest career achievement?
Taking on the role as CEO of a listed company, managing the businesses as well as the investor and stakeholder relationships successfully, is my greatest achievement to date
Can you tell us about a career challenge you have faced and how you overcame this?
When I accepted the role of CEO of MBH in late 2019, I was taking on the challenge of rebuilding an under-performing group, which would require me to restructure and rebuild the group, to get it back on a path of growth. I have a trusted team, who I have worked with for a number of years, who came on the journey with me and as a team we implemented the plan and successfully rebuilt the group over the following 12-18 months. I worked with our key shareholders/stakeholders, to earn their trust and bring them on the journey with us also. In May 2021, we successfully raised $30m in capital to purchase Hampers & Gifts Australia, a high performing asset in the e-commerce sector. This acquisition forms a key part of our future strategic growth and the success of the transaction is a testament to the hard work that has been done and shows the belief in the future prospects of the Group by our shareholders. The group now employs over 220 people and will have sales of more than $85m. I couldn’t have done it without my fantastic team.
What is the one key reason you continue to be involved with behind closed doors?
Being part of the Director’s Network group, I get valuable insights and experiences from the external people that chair the meetings, together with my fellow group members. I find the webinars and face to face sessions full of great information and networking opportunities and I love having access to a network of so many fantastic men and women from the Directors Network. Donny is amazing at bringing great women together through the BCD community and providing relevant and interesting information – thanks Donny!