FSAA Hall of Fame
Kerry Smith
The PFD story began in 1943, amid the noise and bustle of the Melbourne Fish Markets. In 1959, a 19-year-old Scottish immigrant named Rick Smith joined the business as a delivery driver and salesman.
Through vision, determination and an extraordinary work ethic, Rick rose through the company, and as you know, he eventually took ownership and PFD rose into one of Australia’s most successful family businesses and foodservice distributors.
When Rick later stepped away from the day-to-day running of the business and became Executive Chairman it was Kerry who took on the enormous responsibility of becoming CEO.
Kerry did not simply inherit her father’s legacy. She honoured it by having the courage and intelligence to take it somewhere new and for more than 15 years, Kerry led PFD through an extraordinary period of transformation and growth. She understood that respecting the traditions of a family business did not mean standing still. It meant protecting the values that mattered while constantly preparing the business for what came next.
At PFD, we witnessed Kerry’s rare combination of strategic intelligence and deeply human leadership. She could understand the complexity of a national distribution network, recognise an opportunity long before others saw it, and make the difficult decisions required to keep the business moving forward.
But she also understood that foodservice has always been a people business.
For Kerry, growth was never just about warehouses, vehicles, product lines or revenue. It was about the people working inside those warehouses, the drivers representing PFD every day, the suppliers who placed their trust in us and the customers who relied on us to help their own businesses succeed. Under Kerry’s leadership, PFD expanded its national reach, strengthened its infrastructure and capabilities, broadened its offering and grew into a business generating more than $2.1 billion in annual revenue.
When Woolworths Group sought to establish a stronger position in Australia’s foodservice industry, PFD was the obvious choice. In 2020, Woolworths announced a strategic investment, that investment was more than a transaction. It was recognition of the scale, strength, expertise and reputation that Rick, Kerry and their team had built.
Even at that defining moment, Kerry remained fiercely protective of PFD’s identity. She ensured the company would continue operating independently, led by its existing team and grounded in the customer and supplier relationships that had always set it apart.
Kerry helped take PFD from a remarkable family business to a nationally significant Australian foodservice enterprise.
Her legacy is found in the scale of the business, certainly—but even more importantly, in the people she led, the opportunities she created and the standards she set.
FSAA Chairpersons Award
Dr Karen Abbey
Dr Abbey is one of Australia’s most respected experts in foodservice nutrition, particularly across aged care, healthcare catering, menu planning and foodservice systems. She brings a rare combination of clinical, operational and commercial expertise and is highly regarded across aged care providers, universities and the food manufacturing industry. Foodservice Dietitian and Special Dietary Chef, providing both practical kitchen experience and clinical expertise.
Karen has worked across Australia and Internationally supporting the Singapore Government in training in aged care and providing consultancy in the formation of aged care standards. Won the inaugural Fay Macdonald Foodservice Scholarship providing money to attend a financial foodservice course at the University of Guelph in Toronto. Extending this to practical application in long-term care facility foodservices and work with Canadian Foodservcie Dietitians.
Completing a PhD at the University of Queensland 2015 in Residential Aged Care Foodservices – Title menu design, quality and standards – a time for change. This led to Karen working for the University of Queensland as a lecturer and course co-ordinate in the Master of Nutrition and Dietetics program. Karen has supervised 4 PhD students and supported several published papers.
Karen has 30 years’ experience in the aged care sector. During these times has been the Director of Nutrition & Catering Consultancy, advising aged care providers, hospitals, manufacturers and foodservice operators on menu design, foodservice systems, dining experiences and nutrition.
Founder of the Nutrition & Catering Global Hub, providing education, training, recipes and resources to the sector.
Karen of recent has been assessing aged care homes and Meals on Wheels with the strength aged care standards. This has involved helping aged care homes to improve their meal and dining services. For Meals on Wheels this has been helping to improve foodservice systems.
Karen also developed FSAA’s Selling into Aged Care training modules, which we launched earlier this year, making a significant contribution to the education of our members.
Karen has a unique skill set and is starting to reinvent her company to pass the baton and share her skills through a training platform and social media for the aged care sector.
Karen’s work in aged care has centred on improving the foodservice system, understanding the importance of menu planning and the delivery of high-quality nutritious meals. Working with several food manufacturing and equipment companies to explore ways to enhance meal delivery and meal choice. Karen has a firm belief that all areas of foodservice play an important role in the care of the elderly across the aged care sectors.