Jarrod is Non-Executive Chairman of Forbidden Foods. Jarrod is Chair of the Remuneration and Nomination Committee as well as the Audit, Risk and Compliance Committee.
Jarrod co‑founded Forbidden Foods in 2010, when he and co‑founder Marcus Brown recognised an opportunity to build a strong brand‑led food business by introducing unique rice varieties into Australia and New Zealand. Since that time, the Company has become a diverse multi‑brand food and beverage company focusing on the wellness and organic markets, with various national and international sales channels.
Prior to co‑founding Forbidden Foods with Marcus Brown in 2010, Jarrod worked at Coles in various marketing‑related roles including trade planning, growth projects and supplier engagement.
Jarrod recently transitioned from Chief Operating Officer to Non-Executive Chair and has played a vital role in the development of the Forbidden Foods brand proposition, strategy and innovation.
Jarrod has a Bachelor of Business (Marketing) from Swinburne University and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Katie Eshuys is an experienced executive in the global food and beverage industry, specialising in scaling emerging brands and delivering global revenue growth with a passion for ushering in the next wave of bold, innovative CPG products, and continuing to accelerate global expansion for high growth brands.
Katie is currently the Chief Sales Officer at Los Angeles based That’s it., where she has expanded the brand internationally across 7 countries, elevated the product portfolio, and has driven high revenue growth in the competitive North American market, scaling the company significantly to now be triple the size.
Katie was previously the General Manager of International Markets at Halo Top Creamery, where Katie led the international expansion focussed on accelerating disruptive entry into 8 countries whilst also leading financial initiatives to ensure sustainable P&L growth. She was also previously a buyer at Coles in Australia and was also the National Strategic Sales Director for Treasury Wine Estates (ASX: TWE).
Katie's extensive experience in the CPG industry has enabled Katie to develop and execute strategic partnerships with the world's largest retailers across multiple channels including Tesco, Walmart, Costco, Amazon, Target, Sainsbury’s, and Aldi. Katie is notorious for building brands, attributed to her ability to lead across key business functions to deliver consumer led product solutions.
Katie has completed a Bachelor of Commerce from Deakin University.
Katie is a member of the Remuneration and Nomination Committee as well as the Audit, Risk and Compliance Committee.
Alex is the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Forbidden Foods. Alex is a member of the Remuneration and Nomination Committee as well as the Audit, Risk and Compliance Committee.
Alex is a senior business strategist and advisor with over twenty years of senior managerial experience in commercial, operational and financial roles within multinational, ASX top 50 companies private equity and high net worth ownership structures.
Most recently, Alex was Chief Financial Officer of Australian leading Australian beverage company, Lark Distillery Limited (ASX:LRK) between June 2020 and December 2022). During his time with Lark, Alex was instrumental in the Company’s growth trajectory, earnings growth, M&A strategy and market engagement which lead to the group achieving a peak market capitalisation of ~$450m. His previous roles include positions as Chief Financial Officer at Accent Group (ASX:AX1), Shaver Shop Gr (ASX:SSG) and senior multi-discipline roles within Goodyear Dunlop, Telstra (ASX:TLS), Coles (ASX:COL) and Kodak Australasia.
Alex successfully launched Rightsize Advisory, a consultancy firm supporting small to medium sized businesses seeking growth, succession planning and/or exit strategies.
Alex has a Bachelor of Business (Accountancy) and Masters in Business Administration (MBA) both completed at RMIT University. Alex also is a fully qualified Certified Practising Accountant (CPA).
Marcus is the Chief Executive Officer of Forbidden Foods North-America, based out of Chicago, Illinois. Marcus is a member of the Remuneration and Nomination Committee as well as the Audit, Risk and Compliance Committee.
Marcus co‑founded Forbidden Foods in 2010, when he and co‑founder Jarrod Milani recognised an opportunity to build a strong brand‑led food business by introducing unique rice varieties into Australia and New Zealand. Since that time, the Company has become a diverse multi‑brand food and beverage company focusing on the wellness and organic markets, with various national and international sales channels.
Marcus previously worked in the corporate risk management and international captive insurance teams at AON, where he assisted multi‑national companies manage risk and insurance.
Marcus’ experience has given him a deep understanding of the critical areas required to manage a growing business and mitigate risk, which has been instrumental in the establishment and growth of Forbidden Foods.
Marcus has a Bachelor of Business (International Trade) from Victoria University.
