Hop Products Australia (HPA) has announced that current Head of Sales and Marketing Owen Johnston will take over as CEO when current Managing Director and CEO Tim Lord retires at the end of April 2025.
Johnston has a strong record in brewing with a BSc and MBA from the University of Tasmania and a Master of Science from the International Centre for Brewing and Distilling at Heriot-Watt University in Scotland forming the backbone of his extensive knowledge.
When it comes to brewing Johnston also has a strong track having built up one of Tasmania’s largest craft breweries – Moo Brew, where he worked as Head Brewer for 10 years.
For the past 11 years Johnston has worked at HPA, and he has been instrumental in building a globally recognised brand that is valued by brewers around the world.
Speaking about his new appointment, Johnston said: “I’m honoured and delighted to be appointed HPA’s new CEO, and really looking forward to leading HPA’s next chapter, ensuring we continue to create impactful flavours to delight beer lovers.
“We’ve built a great team at HPA, and I’m very proud of what we have achieved, particularly in the last 10 years. I am confident we will continue to face challenges together and collaborate strongly with our partners for continued success as the high-quality specialist hop supplier of choice.”
Shareholder Stephan Barth added: “Owen’s extensive 20+ years’ experience in the beer and hop industry sets him up to spearhead the business’ next phase of development. He has worked at HPA for the past 11 years and has intricate knowledge of the business, the industry, the driving forces that will support our future, and importantly our customers.
“Owen is well placed to represent the BarthHaas group as HPA’s new CEO.
“On behalf of the shareholders, I would like to extend our deep gratitude to Tim Lord for his leadership and integrity during his 20 years as Managing Director & CEO, and for the instrumental role he has played in HPA becoming a globally recognised supplier of flavour hops. He laid out the vision for HPA’s growth in Australia and overseas.”
HPA said that Johnston will work closely with Lord over the coming months to “ensure a smooth transition, with a continued focus on our customers, providing stability, and positioning HPA to thrive in beer and beyond”.
