Shaping the future direction of an industry body

Overview

Reservoir Partners led a comprehensive review of FMA's existing 'A Better Choice!' retailer marketing program and developed a new 5-year strategy to strengthen its impact and reach. As Former Independent Chair of the Fresh Markets Australia National Retail Program, David provided governance oversight and strategic leadership throughout. FMA represents the 5 major central markets operating in Australia, and the work focused on evaluating program performance, identifying opportunities for evolution, and building organisational capability to drive retailer engagement and independent market growth across the network.

The Opportunity

The 'A Better Choice!' program had established strong foundations but required strategic refresh to maintain retailer engagement, increase program reach and adoption across independent markets, strengthen differentiation in a competitive marketplace, and position the program for long-term growth and sustainability. The organisation needed both clear strategic direction and embedded leadership to translate strategy into execution.

Our Approach

In the role of Independent Chair, David led governance oversight and strategic planning alongside the organisation's leadership team. We conducted a detailed review of the existing 5-year program, analysing performance metrics, retailer feedback and market dynamics. We developed a new strategic direction for 'A Better Choice!' aligned to evolving retailer priorities and consumer trends, designed a refreshed marketing and activation strategy to drive engagement, and created a practical 5-year roadmap with clear milestones, investment requirements and success measures. The chair role ensured sustained focus on strategic execution and alignment across the board and management.

The Outcome

This work demonstrates how structured strategy, independent governance and clear leadership can reposition an organisation and create a foundation for long-term impact. Strong stakeholder engagement throughout the process, combined with independent chair leadership, ensured clear translation of insights into practical strategic priorities and sustained commitment to delivery, balancing long-term vision with immediate organisational needs.