North Hobart, Australia, 18 December, 2024
The Board and shareholders are pleased to announce that HPA has appointed Owen Johnston as their new CEO, following an extensive global process with the assistance of Derwent Search. The current Head of Sales & Marketing will commence his new position when current Managing Director & CEO Tim Lord retires at the end of April 2025.
Owen built Moo Brew, the largest craft brewery in Tasmania, Australia, where he worked as Head Brewer for 10 years before turning his focus to bringing Aussie flavour hops to brewers around the world. He has 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 which form the foundation of his extensive understanding of the supply chain, from the hop farm to the brewery floor.
Over the past 11 years at HPA, Owen has been instrumental in building a globally recognised brand that is valued by brewers around the world.
Shareholder Stephan Barth said “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.”
Owen 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.”
Mr Barth noted “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.”
Owen will work closely with Tim 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.
