May 19, 2026 – 5.00amOne of Anubha Sahasrabuddhe’s proudest moments was getting Chinese consumers to drink Coca-Cola – and lots of it. Earlier in her career, Sahasrabuddhe, now the chief executive of beer company Lion in Australia and New Zealand, was asked to go to China in the run-up to the Beijing Olympics and take on the competition, Pepsi.Sahasrabuddhe’s stint was a success, but there were also failures, including the launch of a new non-alcoholic beverage in the Chinese market. These days Sahasrabuddhe would have launched the product very differently, taking her cue from practices common in the technology sector.Subscribe to gift this articleGift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber? Sally PattenBOSS editorSally Patten edits BOSS, and writes about workplace issues. She was the financial services editor and personal finance editor of the AFR, The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald. She edited business news for The Times of London.Iona RennieProducerIona Rennie is a producer at The Australian Financial Review.Fetching latest articles