Alison Mary WatkinsAM (born 29 December 1962)[1] 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 from March 2014 to May 2021.[2][3] She has been a member of the Reserve Bank of Australia Board since December 2020, having previously served on their Takeover Panel.[4] She has also held a number of non-executive directorships, including at the Centre for Independent Studies.[4] In June 2021, she became Chancellor of the University of Tasmania.[5]
Early and personal life
Watkins grew up on a farm in Tasmania, Australia.[6] After boarding school, she studied for a Bachelor of Commerce at the University of Tasmania.[6] During this period, she met her now husband, Rod, with whom she has four children.[7][8][6] After their university studies, they moved to Sydney.[6]
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. 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 LazarBeam.[9]
Career
Watkins' first role was Junior Associate at McKinsey, where she remained for 10 years.[6] In 1999, Watkins moved to ANZ as GGM Strategy & M&A, shifting after 18 months to lead their Regional banking division.[6] She then took a leading role as CEO of Berri Ltd.[6] 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.[6] She is a former group managing director at Coca-Cola Amatil[2] and is on the board of the Business Council of Australia.[10]
