September 20, 2019
Raise a glass and listen to the Cooper's success story in Katherine
Glenn Cooper is looking forward to telling a story he knows Territorians will love to hear: a David and Goliath battle spanning three centuries.
He is one of the keynote speakers at October Business Month, the business event of the year in the Northern Territory.
Glenn was marketing and sales executive of Coopers Brewery from 1990 until his retirement in 2014.
He was behind the launch of many beers, including Dark Ale, Extra Strong Vintage Ale, Mild Ale, Premium Lager and Coopers Clear.
Coopers, which was founded in 1862, is now the only major Australian‑owned brewery - all the others have systematically been taken over by foreign interests.
The company spent millions of dollars on fighting off a hostile takeover bid by the giant Japanese brewer Kirin in 2005.
Glenn will tell his Territory audience the dramatic story of how Coopers has remained a family-run business for 157 years.
“It’s a true David and Goliath tale,” he says. “I’ll talk about how small businesses can survive against big corporations by playing to their advantages.
The speech is likely to be laced with humour - he likes to start his story by saying that the founder of Coopers, his great, great grandfather, Thomas Cooper, had two wives and 19 children.
“And he made family succession planning difficult right from the start.”
A sixth generation of the Cooper family is now working at the brewery in Adelaide.
Territorians should not expect any airs and graces from Glenn.
He started his working life as an automation electrician and later studied electronic engineering and marketing.
Glenn set up a computer sales contract services business and it grew to be a substantial company with offices in Adelaide and Brisbane.
In 2007, he followed in the footsteps of his uncle, Colonel Geoff Cooper, and walked the Kokoda Trail in Papua New Guinea.
Glenn will speak at the OBM Business Dinner at the Godinymayin Arts Centre in Katherine on Saturday 12 October. Cost: $100.
To book go to the OBM event booking portal