About our leadership team
We are proudly an Australian business led by a two-generation family, with an extended team of loyal retail partners and store support office employees. Ron Anderson built the business with his wife Margaret after opening their first petroleum distributorship with the Mobil Oil Company in 1968, then soon becoming an Independent Petroleum Company, named Anderson Petroleum Company (APCO) Service Stations Pty Ltd, opening their first retail store in Warrnambool in 1978, whilst only recently retired, Ron and Margret have now handed the reins over to their sons Peter and Robert. Ron and Margaret's daughters have been involved in a variety of aspects of the business, in particular initiating the APCO Foundation, and now predominantly run and support the APCO Foundation.
Our Leadership and Management team is made up of owners Peter Anderson and Robert Anderson, together with key business unit managers, who are a combination of long-term service, more recently joined, highly experienced and passionate members of the APCO family. Together with their incredible and hardworking teams, they support with pride our retail network, their families and team members.
Peter Anderson - Director
Peter is co-Director of the family company APCO S. The eldest son of founders Ron and Margaret Anderson, Peter joined the business in the 1980’s helping to expand the wholesale business in the western districts of regional Victoria and then also leading the wholesale and retail growth in the Geelong district. Peter has been instrumental in the APCO growth, pioneering quality petroleum retail sites throughout Geelong and regional Victoria and NSW. Peter drives the ethos of the supply of quality, competitively priced fuels and is passionate about delivering fair and honest fuel prices. Peter oversees the retail fuel business and supply chain logistics, new store development, finance, facilities management and the APCO Easy Wash car wash businesses.
Robert Anderson - Director
Robert is co-Director of the
family company APCO. The youngest son of founders Ron
and Margaret Anderson, Robert has been with the family business for over 30
years and has been responsible for the role in developing the retail network of
convenience stores, complementing the fuel and service station model with a
supreme APCO convenience shop format called cafe24-7 boasting a broad service offering 24 hours, 7 days a week and ongoing
innovations in general convenience service, customer experience and quality
‘on-the-go’ food and ‘small-format’ grocery options. Robert oversees the
general management of the retail network and APCO support office which includes
technology, retail operations, category and merchandise, brand and marketing
and customer and people management.
Robert has also enjoyed his role as a Director on the AACS Board for the past 25-years, Chair of the Board in 2016 and 2017.
Kellie Struth - Head of Category & Marketing
Kellie joined APCO early in 2020 leading Change Management and Training for the POS rollout and later that year joined the Leadership team as Head of Category and Marketing Operations. She is responsible for the teams who manage product and offerings to our customers, which includes category management, merchandise planning and management, food development and strategy, retail process improvement, supplier relationships and management, master data and marketing and promotions. Key categories span food, food service, beverages, snacks, confectionary, grocery, tobacco and general merchandise.
Kellie is a senior leader with over 25 years' experience working across both ASX and private equity businesses and has extensive experience in Category, Insights and Analytics, Strategy and Business Process Transformation. Kellie holds a Masters in Marketing specialising in Retail and Supply Chain from Monash University.
Fiona Rowan - Head of Finance
As one of APCO’s longest serving employees, Fiona joined the APCO family in March 2000 and acts as the Company’s Chief Financial Officer. Responsible for leading APCO’s finance function in its entirety including supply chain and service delivery functions, Fiona’s commitment and “can do” attitude has helped in making APCO the successful Company it is today.
Fiona holds a Bachelor of Commerce Degree from Deakin University and is CPA Qualified. She enjoys spending time with her family, good food and wine and travelling towards sunshine.
Karl Wilson - Head of Retail Operations
As the Head of Retail Operations, Karl’s passion for exceptional customer experience drives his commitment for quality food production, strong vendor relationships and retailer account management.
As a former owner of a small business for ten years, he has a clear understanding of the challenges and rewards of owning a small business and believes this is an advantage when working with retailers to identify opportunities for individuals and the entire APCO network.
Karl’s has achieved further education in Hospitality Management, Training and Work, Health and Safety. Also obtaining a Diploma in Health Science (Nursing). His drive to support and care for people has seen him obtain over 16 years’ experience in Franchising both nationally and internationally. As a previous small business owner for over 10 years, Karl’s knowledge gives him insight and knowledge to share with the APCO Network.
Karl is a driven person who looks for a balance between work, family, and community, and believes the right balance will result in happiness in all areas of his life.
David Jeffreys - Head of Developments & Facilities
For 20 years prior to joining APCO, David provided carpentry, OH&S, site/project management and design and drafting services across the construction industry and completed tertiary studies in construction, design, and energy efficiency.
Since joining APCO David has been involved in all development journeys owning all major infrastructure and construction projects including new stores, renovations, and redevelopment of existing sites including petrol and fuel service stations, car washes, cafes, retail and convenience, office, warehouses and various civil projects.
David's expertise and day to day operations involves client-side project management, design, documentation, stakeholder and contract management and overall site development strategy and execution.
David believes that solid relationships with colleagues, consultants, contractors and retailers are key to successful project outcomes for development projects that represent growth for all.
