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Interview with Bundaberg Brewed Drinks CEO, John McLean

March 16, 2026

Great com­pa­nies rarely hap­pen by acci­dent. They are built through dis­ci­pline, focus, and lead­ers who are will­ing to make hard deci­sions over long peri­ods of time.

In this con­ver­sa­tion, Kevin sat down with John McLean, CEO of Bund­aberg Brewed Drinks — one of the world’s most dis­tinc­tive pre­mi­um bev­er­age brands and a remark­able fam­i­ly busi­ness sto­ry. What began as a small region­al soft drink com­pa­ny in Queens­land, Aus­tralia has grown into a glob­al brand sold in more than 60 coun­tries, while remain­ing proud­ly fam­i­ly-owned across mul­ti­ple generations.

John shares the inside sto­ry of that jour­ney: how the busi­ness refo­cused on its core brand, how dis­ci­plined strat­e­gy and glob­al think­ing helped it scale beyond Aus­tralia, and what it real­ly takes to lead and grow a fam­i­ly enter­prise. We also talk about the lead­er­ship lessons he’s learned since becom­ing CEO in 2007 — from build­ing a strong cul­ture and mak­ing tough peo­ple deci­sions, to the impor­tance of resilience, authen­tic­i­ty, and sim­ply ​“keep­ing going” when the road gets difficult.

If you lead a grow­ing com­pa­ny — or aspire to build one that lasts gen­er­a­tions — there’s a lot to learn from this conversation.

Here are some high­lights cap­tured in clips:

Los­ing 67% of Clients in Week One
The Gin­ger Beer Will Make You Say Wow!
We’re Cus­to­di­ans Not Sellers
Morn­ing Walks & Off-Grid Recharge
Get­ting the Right Peo­ple on the Bus
Or watch the full inter­view here:
Addi­tion­al Resources relat­ed to John’s Interview:

About Lawrence & Co.
Lawrence & Co. is a growth strategy and leadership advisory firm that helps mid-market companies achieve lasting, reliable growth. Our Growth Management System turns 30 years of experience into practical steps that drive clarity, alignment, and performance—so leaders can grow faster, with less friction, and greater confidence.

About Kevin Lawrence
Kevin Lawrence has spent three decades helping companies scale from tens of millions to hundreds of millions in revenue. He works side-by-side with CEOs and leadership teams across North America, the Middle East, Asia, Australia, and Europe, bringing real-world insights from hands-on experience. Kevin is the author of Your Oxygen Mask First, a book of 17 habits to help high-performing leaders grow sustainably while protecting their mental health and resilience. He also contributed to Scaling Up (Rockefeller Habits 2.0). Based in Vancouver, he leads Lawrence & Co, a boutique firm of growth advisors.