International Women’s Day was celebrated over brunch at 1 Hotels with over 270 industry colleagues where two of Australia’s most influential brewery leaders took the stage for a candid conversation about leadership, identity, and transformation in a changing industry.
Amanda Sellers, Group CEO of Asahi Beverages, and Anubha Sahasrabuddhe, CEO of Lion, were joined by moderator Kimberley Malcolm for a discussion that went far beyond beer, touching on confidence, cultural identity, and what it really takes to lead at the top.
Returning Home and Relearning Identity
For Anubha, coming back to Australia after more than two decades working globally was unexpectedly disorienting.
Despite being Australian-born, she found herself needing to “relearn” the culture and reconnect with local consumers and teams. In global roles, her Australian identity had been a defining strength yet back home, she sometimes felt she had to explain it.
Her experience highlights a broader truth about leadership in modern Australia: identity isn’t always straightforward. Leaders are increasingly navigating multicultural expectations while challenging outdated assumptions about what they “should” look like.
Her approach? Lean into authenticity.
Rather than reshaping herself to fit expectations, she emphasized the importance of staying grounded in who you are while remaining open to feedback that sharpens, rather than replaces, your leadership style.
“I think first and foremost, I’m Australian. And I know I have a strange name, and I think the strange name throws people off a little bit. Interesting. So again, like everything, don’t judge everything by its first impressions and actually get to understand it”
Decision-Making in High-Pressure Roles
Both CEOs were strikingly aligned on one point: indecision is more dangerous than making the wrong call.
Anubha described high-stakes moments bluntly as when “shit gets real.” In those moments, she reframes fear by focusing on the alternative, inaction.
“Failure isn’t fatal,” she noted. “But paralysis can be.”
Amanda echoed this, adding that strong leadership isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about surrounding yourself with capable people, listening well, and having the courage to move forward and then adjust if needed.
Redefining Leadership Styles
Early in her career, Anubha was told she was “too direct” and “too much” – feedback many leaders, particularly women, will find familiar.
Instead of conforming, she learned to filter feedback carefully: adopting what helped her grow while rejecting what diluted her authenticity.
Her guiding principle, borrowed from Oscar Wilde: “Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.”
Amanda, meanwhile, took a slightly different path. Entering her first CEO role, she focused on trusting the support around her – her board, her team and leading in a way that felt natural from the outset.
“You surround yourself with people better than you and that’s how decisions and ultimately direction and leadership is formed”
For both, the message was clear: leadership isn’t about fitting a mould. It’s about building one that works.
The Confidence Gap and Saying Yes Anyway
A recurring theme was the hesitation many professionals feel when stepping into bigger roles.
Anubha challenged the idea that you need to be fully prepared before saying yes.
Her philosophy is simple: say yes first, then figure it out.
Waiting for complete certainty, she argued, can become a self-imposed barrier. Growth often comes from being thrown into unfamiliar situations and learning in real time.
Amanda added a practical layer: as leaders rise, they must also learn what not to do, focusing only on decisions that truly require their input and empowering others to lead.
Inclusive Leadership Starts with Being Heard
For Amanda, inclusion isn’t just a value, it’s the foundation of performance.
Creating an environment where people feel heard allows diversity of thought to emerge naturally, strengthening decision-making across the organisation.
It’s a shift from traditional top-down leadership toward something more dynamic: curiosity-driven, collaborative, and grounded in trust.
A New Model of Leadership
What emerged from the discussion wasn’t a single formula for success but a set of evolving principles:
- Authenticity over conformity
- Action over perfection
- Inclusion as a performance driver
- Growth through discomfort
- Leadership as both responsibility and opportunity
In an industry steeped in tradition, these leaders are helping redefine not just how businesses operate but how leadership itself looks in modern Australia.
So, what does this mean for you? You don’t need to have everything figured out to step forward, you just need the courage to begin.
“I’ve learnt that as an executive, you should save the decisions that only you can make, and decisions that other people in your team, other executives, other leaders, leave those decisions to them and free your time up to focus really on what’s unique and bespoke about what you can do.” Amanda Sellers, Group CEO Asahi Beverages
“I think it’s fair to say that I’ve never had all the answers before stepping into any role. My approach through my career has always been say yes and trust yourself to figure it out because there are very smart and capable people around you.” said Anubha Sahasrabuddhe, CEO of Lion.