Foott’s newly appointed chief executive, Andrew Yeoland, says he is keen on charting a sustainable future for the company, using his experience in the packaging industry and his admiration for regional communities.
Born in Tasmania and a Monash University business graduate majoring in marketing, Mr Yeoland has accumulated over 25 years of global experience in management, sales and marketing, and strategy across Europe, Asia and Australia.
Having served in key roles at O-I, the world’s largest glass manufacturer, he brings a treasure trove of expertise to the Shepparton business.
Mr Yeoland said that at the end of 2021, he had decided to leave O-I upon his return to Australia, as the business had been sold.
“For the last year and a half, I’ve spent time doing some consulting work for the packaging and recycling industry as well,” Mr Yeoland said.
Upon relocating to Shepparton, Mr Yeoland said he was intrigued by this region’s immense opportunities.
He said he was drawn to the prospect of working outside “metro Melbourne” and saw it as an opportunity to leverage his corporate experience to influence a different kind of business — a growing family business transitioning into a medium-sized enterprise.
“I didn’t necessarily want to work for another corporate business for a while,” Mr Yeoland said.
“I wanted to take the opportunity of working for a different type of business.
“A family business that’s moving from being a small family business into a medium-sized business.”
Mr Yeoland said he admired the stronger connection between businesses and the community in regional areas.
This was one of the many things he looked forward to fostering as Foott’s new chief executive.
He also emphasised Foott’s commitment to supporting the community through various initiatives, citing efforts in dealing with regional communities, supporting needy causes, and contributing to natural disaster relief efforts.
Mr Yeoland said Foott, which now employs about 50 staff, was currently in a transformative phase, and with his experience in change management, he saw his role as helping Foott navigate this chapter.
In his first six weeks at Foott, Mr Yeoland said he was “having a great time” and felt welcomed in the region. As he settles into his new role, he said his eyes were set on enhancing Foott’s capabilities, expanding its services and building a more robust recycling economy.
“We’ve got a couple of very big things coming up that’s going to mean that we expand very quickly,” Mr Yeoland said.
The business’s recent success in securing the tender for the Benalla and Strathbogie Shire kerbside collections aligns with these ambitious growth plans.
Mr Yeoland noted that the upcoming container deposit scheme, managed by Foott, would have sites in Shepparton, Benalla and Yarrawonga, where consumers could return their bottles and cans for a deposit.
He affirmed that these sites would be finalised before the scheme’s launch on November 1.
Mr Yeoland said he saw Foott’s future as a holistic waste and recycling business, promoting a circular economy in Greater Shepparton.
“What I hope to see is that we can create a recycling economy here,” he said.
“That we can collect the waste here, we can sort the waste here, and we can recycle the waste here.”