After last claiming the top spot in 2019, Lion has roared back to the top taking out the coveted 2025 Supplier of the Year at the Australian Drinks Awards.
Showing the strength of the business, Lion also collected the 2025 Category Management Award, their first time to receive this title. Diageo received the Most Improved Supplier Award, while Australian Vintage reclaimed the Supply Chain Management accolade after winning back-to-back awards in 2021 and 2022.
Steve Andrews, Advantage Australia's Managing Director, presented the award on behalf of the company. He said, “The Supplier of the Year Award recognises excellence in engagement in the key business disciplines that make up best practice in liquor and it's calculated by the highest score in the Drinks Association Advantage trade engagement program.
“This year's winner is very deserving. They are an excellent example of a business that is both internally cohesive as well as externally focused. And that's represented by the breadth of their strengths this year that were as diverse as shopper marketing, digital leadership, sharing insights and in-store support.”
Kerry Appathurai, Lion’s National Sales Director was present to accept the Supplier of the Year Award.
In her acceptance speech, she said: “At Lion we are hungry. And we won't apologise for it. We are driven. We want to be the best and we want to be a great partner. It really is about people. It's about partnership. It's about performance. We are consumer obsessed, customer focused and we want to create shared value.”
All four Supplier Award winners were determined by the Engagement Program facilitated by the Drinks Association's Platinum Partner, Advantage Australia. Advantage has also been a dedicated sponsor of the Supplier of the Year Award since the awards began in 2012.
Appathurai added: “The Advantage Group survey gives us an opportunity to understand where we can add value, what we can truly do to unlock mutual growth for the category and ensure that our businesses are here for the long term. So to every single customer that we do business with, thank you. Thank you for your trust, for your support, for the recognition.”
The awards ceremony took place on Thursday, 17 July at the Hilton Sydney, with Edwina Bartholomew as MC and an audience of approximately 400 guests. A total of 34 awards were presented during the evening. Alongside the Supplier Awards, winners were also announced for the 2025 Most Reputable Brand, Best New Product Innovation and Best Brand Campaign, as well as the three Contribution to Industry Awards.
2025 Supplier Awards Winners
Supplier of the Year: Lion
Most Improved Supplier of the Year: Diageo
Category Management Award: Lion
Supply Chain Management: Australian Vintage
2025 Brand Awards Winners
After a complete refresh of the Brand Awards in 2025 to reflect industry focus and investment, there were 27 winners across the Most Reputable Brand, Best New Product Innovation and Best Brand Campaign categories.
Thrive Research was once again the Drinks Association’s Brand Awards partner, conducting consumer research with a panel of 4,000 consumers to determine the winners.
For Most Reputable Brand, winners were judged by consumers to be the most trusted, recommended and authentic out of the top 200 brands in each category.
Products launched in the last 15 months were eligible for the Best New Product Innovation with consumers assessing each product on their uniqueness and innovation.
Drinks Association members entered submissions for Best Brand Campaign and consumers assessed each against criteria including likeability, differentiation and how much they motivated people to try the product
2025 Contribution to Industry Award Winners
The Contribution to Industry Awards shine a spotlight on the initiatives driving meaningful change across the drinks industry, whether through advancing diversity and inclusion, championing employee wellbeing or leading on sustainability.
This year’s panel combined deep industry knowledge with subject matter expertise, bringing together Board members, member company leaders and specialists across the three focus areas to assess each submission on attributes including its impact, innovation and sustainability.
The 2025 winners were:
Best Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Initiative: Asahi Beverages
Best Wellbeing Initiative: Asahi Beverages
Best Environmental Sustainability Initiative: Australian Vintage
The Drinks Association congratulates its Category One Member, Lion, on winning the 2025 Supplier of the Year Award.
Advantage Group is a Platinum Partner of the Drinks Association.
The Drinks Association would like to thank its generous sponsors for this year’s event.
