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Ronald Endley Ainsbury
Summary
Ron is a widely experienced executive, consultant, and teacher. Highly energetic, Ron brings intellect, skill,
experience, and common sense to business issues. He has built and led successful teams, led company turnarounds,
developed innovative solutions to client strategy problems and, over the past decade, to corporate responsibility and
sustainability issues.
Born in South Africa, Ron graduated with a B. Sc. Honours degree from the University of Cape Town, then won a Field
Marshall Smuts Scholarship to study at Oxford University where he earned two Masters degrees, a M. Sc. In
Mathematical Statistics and a M. Phil. In Management Studies.
He has been Managing Director of two successful marketing companies, Swedish Motors (Volvo) in Thailand and
New Zealand Breweries (Steinlager) in Auckland, New Zealand. In both companies he led a turnaround in market
share, improvement in profitability, and set up new, complimentary businesses.
As a consultant based in Australia, Ron worked for a wide range of companies in the US, Japan, Thailand, Australia,
and New Zealand and in a wide range of industries, including airlines, banking and finance, building and construction,
consumer products, manufacturing, services, and brewing. In Thailand, he assisted in the building of several new
ventures, sat on various committees representing the foreign business community, founded a Chamber of
Commerce, and was a director of the Board Of Trade of Thailand for five years, including one year as Vice Chairman.
Based in London he has consulted for the Alcohol Beverage.
Industry in several countries such as China, Ghana, Namibia, Russia, South Korea, and Thailand.
Ron launched a new venture in Thailand, the Better Environment Company, focusing on bringing profitable
business solutions to environmental problems. After a successful start, the enterprise ran aground as a
result of the financial crisis that hit Thailand in 1997.
As Corporate Relations Director for Diageo in Australasia, he contributed to international policy on CR
issues (particularly ‘Enriched Communities’) and initiated a number of activities in Australia that were
recognised as best practice and replicated globally by Diageo, such as the responsible drinking programme,
DRINKiQ.
He has consulted to the alcohol industry in China, Korea, Mongolia, Russia, Singapore, Taiwan, and
Thailand, developing industry coalitions to meet strategic threats. He is a Visiting Lecturer at Vietnam’s
Academy of Finance on Management topics. He is a Visiting Fellow to Cranfield University’s Doughty Centre
for Corporate Responsibility, was a Guest Professor at Rotterdam Business School (“RBS”), advising and
lecturing on Corporate Sustainability and Responsibility and has subsequently been a Visiting Lecturer
there. He has lectured on business subjects to graduate students at leading Universities in Thailand:
Thammasat, Chulalongkorn, Burapa, Webster (US) University’s Thai Campus, and supervised doctoral
students at the University of South Australia’s Thai Campus.
He has published two case studies on the European Clearing House, “Drinkwise: Uniting an
Industry” with Prof. David Grayson in 2011 and “The Path to a Sustainable SME: The Van
Houtum Story” with Saulius Buivys in 2013 and has recently published an occasional paper
with Prof David Grayson “Stages of Maturity”.
Career Details
2008 - date
Jacaranda Limited, Consultant
Cranfield University, Visiting Fellow, Doughty Centre for Corporate
Responsibility
Rotterdam Business School, Senior Research Fellow
Ron consults to companies developing their business in Asia
Ron consults to the alcohol beverage industry in Asia Pacific focused on bringing the industry
together to lead and implement industry sustainability programmes
He is a consultant to the International Center for Alcohol Policies (“ICAP”): most recently leading a
project to tackle drunk driving in Russia (government and industry) and bringing the industry
together in Mongolia to tackle harmful use of alcohol
He trains facilitators in how to lead an innovative responsible drinking programme
(see below)
He is a Visiting Lecturer at the Academy of Finance (part of the Vietnam Ministry of Finance) on two
joint venture courses, MA in International Trade and Finance (Leeds Metropolitan University) and
MBA (Gloucester University) - subjects: “Business Strategy”, “Marketing Strategy”, and “Trade,
Development, and Growth”
At Cranfield University he is undertaking research on industry leadership in sustainability and the
impact this has on the formal training needs of business leaders of tomorrow and has just published
an occasional paper with Prof David Grayson “Stages of Maturity”.
At Rotterdam Business School (Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences) he lectures in SME
management, Entrepreneurship, and Business Sustainability.
He has co-written a business case based on a Dutch SMEs approach using cradleto-cradle (Circular
economy) as basis for a new business strategy
He conducts research into how SMEs can use business sustainability to spurinnovation
2001 - 2008
Diageo Australasia Limited
Sydney, Australia
Director, Corporate Relations
Ron was responsible for Government & Public Affairs, Corporate and Internal Communications, Brand PR
(not advertising), Diageo’s Corporate Citizenship programme (including the Bundy Bush Fund and Diageo
Helping Hands), and the Diageo Responsible Drinking Programme (including DRINKiQ and www.think-b4udrink.com). Ron covered Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. Ron worked on several Asia Pacific
and Global teams to provide consistent international policy on CR issues (such as “Enriched Communities”)
and had initiated several activities in Australia that are being replicated internationally by Diageo. Ron
pioneered an innovative alcohol information programme targeting employees, called “DRINKIQ”, now a
Diageo global standard, and being used with customers and other external stakeholders. He also developed
a simple device placed on all Diageo’s products clearly showing the standard drink content of the alcohol
beverage. This initiative was endorsed by the Australian Federal government and is now being followed by
other companies and being introduced into Southeast Asia. See below for further detail.
1993 - 1998
Euro Thai Holdings Limited
Better Environment Company Limited
Bangkok, Thailand
Founding President
Ron founded two start-up joint venture companies focusing on environmental products. After a successful
start, with a customer list that included Thai International and Goodyear Tyre, the enterprises ran aground
as a result of the financial crisis that hit Thailand in 1997 causing interest rates to rise, exchange rates to
skyrocket, and the resulting liquidity crunch forcing customers to defer new investment and cancel orders
for new equipment.
1992 – 2001
Socratic Insights Limited
Bangkok, Thailand
President and CEO
Ron’s clients included the Thai subsidiaries of multi-nationals such as Michelin and Kimberly-Clark, local
companies such as Thai-Amarit Brewery and TIS marketing, and several Internet start-up companies (Thai
and US). Ron consulted on a range of issues from cross-cultural team building and management to business
and marketing strategy.
Included in this period were two temporary executive placements. The first was as Managing Director of
Danceman, the Thai subsidiary of an Australian firm, a factory producing and exporting ballet and dance
shoes (circa nine months in 1998-99). The position was designed to allow a Thai MD to be groomed for the
position. The second, was as International Business Manager, for TIS Worldwide Marketing, a Thai firm
importing and producing alcohol beverages (circa one year 1999 – 2000).
1989 – 1992
Swedish Motors Corporation
Bangkok, Thailand
Managing Director
1976 – 1980
Assistant to Managing Director (1976 - 77)
Special Projects Manager (1977 - 78)
Finance Manager (1979 - 80)
SMC started as the family-owned distributor of Volvo cars, buses, trucks, and construction equipment in
Thailand. From 1976 – 1980 Ron undertook a variety of assignments including the negotiations with the
Bangkok Metropolitan Authority for the delivery of 240 airconditioned city buses and with a consortium of
international banks for seven-year syndicated loan.
In 1988 SMC listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand (“SET”) and Ron was appointed MD.
Amongst other activities, Ron developed an innovative customer loyalty programme, integrated the VolvoSAS Golf tournament into brand and customer marketing, and restructured rural dealer and sales
representative incentives. As a result sales rose from under 1,200 vehicles to over 3,000 within four years
and reported profit almost doubled. He launched Volvo Trucks as a separate Thai venture and took on the
Chrysler Jeep franchise for Thailand. He also created Scandinavian Leasing, a joint venture between SMC,
AB Volvo, and Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken. The company later listed separately on the SET.
1985 – 1989
New Zealand Breweries Limited
Auckland, New Zealand
Managing Director
Lion Corporation had been one of Ron’s clients as a Business Strategy Consultant (see below). Appointed to
implement the consulting recommendations, Ron introduced innovative marketing programmes such as
Steinlager’s sponsorship of the All Blacks, the first Rugby World Cup, and Peter Blake’s Steinlager Challenge
series - which won the 1989 Whitbread Round-the-world Race. The result of these and other efforts saw a
turnaround in a decadeslong decline in domestic market share and a trebling of exports. Ron led a
restructure of the breweries, closing some and reinvigorating Auckland and Christchurch. Closures led to
the dismissal of 300 workers out of 1,200. The way this was handled was recognized at the time as best
practice.
Outside of the beer business Ron launched a joint venture, New Zealand Can, producing aluminium cans for
the beverage industry. Ron was a member of the Senior Executive Committee of Lion Corporation that
included the Wine & Spirit Distribution, Hotel, Licensed Restaurant, and Liquor Retailing businesses.
1980 - 1985
Pappas Carter Evans & Koop Pty Ltd
Sydney, Australia
Business Strategy Consultant
An Australian consulting firm established by former consultants of McKinsey & Co. and Boston Consulting
Group, subsequently bought by BCG. Ron worked on business strategy assignments across Australia, New
Zealand, Japan, Taiwan, the USA, Thailand, and Singapore and in a wide range of industries, including
airlines, banking, brewing, building materials, finance, manufacturing, mining, motors, and plastics. See
below for further details.
Education
Oxford University, Trinity College (Field Marshall Smuts Scholarship)
1976 M. Phil - Management Studies
1975 M. Sc - Mathematical Statistics
University of Cape Town (CSIR Scholarship)
1972 B. Sc. Honours - Computer Science, Mathematical Statistics
Lecturing/Teaching Experience
Between 1992 and 2001 Ron was a lecturer at a number of Universities in Thailand and Vietnam teaching
business topics (Business Strategy, Consumer Behaviour, Leadership and Team-building, Cross-cultural
Management, and International Business) to graduate management students: MBA, M. Sc., and D. Phil
programmes.
2011 - date University of Leeds/Vietnam Ministry of Finance MAITF
2011 - date University of Gloucester/Vietnam Ministry of Finance Mini-MBA
2000 - 2013 Royal Business School, Vietnam (Executive Education)
1999 - 2001 Burapa University, Webster University, and University of South Australia in Thailand
1998 - 2001 Chulalongkorn University, Thailand
1992 - 2001 Thammasat University, Thailand
Publishing
1994
Series of management papers (e.g., “Thailand’s Biggest Infrastructure Problem:
The Shortage of Leaders”) - Published in Bangkok Post.
2011
“DrinkWise: Uniting an industry.”
Prof David Grayson and R. Ainsbury, published on ECCH.
2012
“Corporate sustainability and responsibility as a source of competitive advantage - case of Van Houtum
Company.”
R. Ainsbury, B. Pešalj, and S. Buivys Univ. Of Belgrade Journal of Economics
V6, 2012
2013
“The Path to a Sustainable SME: The Van Houtum Story.”
R. Ainsbury and Saulius Buivys, published on ECCH.a
2014
“Business Critical: Understanding a Company’s current and desired stages of Corporate Responsibility
Maturity” Prof David Grayson and R. Ainsbury, Cranfield University.