Australia, May 2026 – Primo Foods has announced the appointment of Marese Doherty as Head of People Services & Operations.
Doherty brings more than two decades of experience across human resources leadership, people operations, talent acquisition, employee relations, workforce management, organizational development, and strategic HR business partnering. Her appointment strengthens Primo Foods’ people leadership team as the company continues to grow its workforce and operations across Australia.
Prior to joining Primo Foods, Doherty spent more than four years with Qantas, where she held a series of increasingly senior people leadership roles.
Most recently, she served as Senior People Manager – Corporate, supporting the Office of the Group Chief Financial Officer and Chief Communications Officer & Corporate Affairs. Earlier, she held the position of Acting Head of People for Group Risk & Services and the Office of the Group CFO, providing leadership across strategic people initiatives and workforce management.
During her tenure at Qantas, she also served as Senior People Manager and National People Manager, partnering with senior business leaders across Group Safety, Health & Security, Group Operational Services, Group Risk & Services, and corporate functions. Her responsibilities included strategic workforce planning, organizational effectiveness, employee engagement, leadership support, and people operations.
Before joining Qantas, Doherty served as Senior People Business Partner at Coates Hire, where she worked closely with senior executive leaders, providing strategic HR business partnering support and helping align people initiatives with business objectives.
Earlier, she spent more than eleven years with Menzies Aviation as National Human Resources Manager, leading people operations and human resources initiatives across the organization. During this period, she gained extensive experience in workforce management, employee relations, talent development, HR operations, and executive-level HR business partnering.
Prior to moving into senior HR leadership roles, Doherty worked with Flight Centre Travel Group as a Senior Talent Acquisition Specialist, focusing on recruitment and talent acquisition initiatives.
She began her career with Virgin Australia, where she served as Guest Services Supervisor and People Leader, leading frontline teams and overseeing customer service operations at Sydney Domestic Airport.
Throughout her career, Doherty has built extensive expertise in people leadership, organizational development, workforce planning, employee relations, talent management, and operational HR strategy across aviation, travel, services, and corporate environments.
About Primo Foods
Primo Foods is one of Australia’s leading producers of ham, bacon, and smallgoods, with a heritage spanning more than six decades.
Originally established as a local butcher shop, the company has grown into Australia’s number one deli brand and a trusted supplier of high-quality food products across domestic and international markets.
Since 2015, Primo Foods has operated as part of JBS, one of the world’s leading food and meat processing companies. Today, the company employs more than 3,000 people across Australia and continues to deliver innovative, value-added food solutions to consumers and customers nationwide.
Primo Foods is also actively involved in community initiatives through programs such as the Primo Food Truck, which supports charitable causes across Australia, and partnerships with sporting organizations including Brisbane Heat and Collingwood Football Club.
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