Occupation/s? Tell us what you have been doing
I’m finally taking a gap year…. 2017 is my gap year
What would you tell your 1977 self if you could send them a message now?
Don’t be afraid to open lots of doors in order to find your passion/your calling, the thing that you want to invest “yourself" into may not be behind the first couple of doors you open. Don’t be afraid to try and to fail, it will help bring great clarity to the task.
What would you like to share about the last 40 years?
On leaving Ulverstone High I took on an Electrical Apprenticeship with a family business in Burnie……it was a terrific opportunity that I was very grateful for, but it became clear to me that it wasn’t something that I wanted to do for the rest of my life.
The end of my apprenticeship coincided with an opportunity to play footy in Melbourne and then Adelaide and Canberra… this allowed me to see some more of our country, and study part-time for a Business degree (Mr Langerack would have been proud!!) with the intention of learning how businesses worked.
I met my wife Mary while I was in Canberra where she was attending Uni, we then moved to Hobart as I was recruited to play football with Clarence and got married in 1987. That year was also the point at which I joined the Woolworths Group as an Accountant with the Purity Supermarkets business.
That was the “door" I had been looking for, I was fascinated by the world of retail, I had found my calling, in fact it kept my attention for the next 29 years ... despite being with the one employer for all that time I enjoyed many different “careers/occupations” … roles in marketing and Commercial whilst in Tasmania and then a move to Sydney in 1999 to take on marketing, operations, business development roles before serving as CEO for the Woolworths Group for the last 5 years of my time there. I was grateful to be afforded so many experiences and challenges during my time at Woolies …. it was a hectic 29 years and concluded with my retirement in August 2016 and a new plan to take a gap year in 2017 to reset myself and get ready for the next phase of my life.
Mary and I are lucky enough to have three great kids, all proud Tasmanians but in truth they have spent virtually their entire lives in Sydney. We’ve been using 2017 to travel, spend time together as a family and play a bit of catch up on time and opportunities lost as the kids were growing up.
We’ve also been sharpening our plans for 2018 and beyond…. what I am clear on is the theme of our new plan and that is “giving back”. I’m kept busy currently on two "Not for Profit" Boards, one tackling Pancreatic Cancer (the Avner Pancreatic Cancer Foundation)… and the other a program helping young Indigenous girls complete their schooling (The Stars Foundation)… these are incredibly rewarding and are areas where real change is needed.
What are you proudest of about your life? What have been your greatest achievements?
I would like to change this question to... what I am most grateful for….. I am grateful to my fantastic wife Mary and our three kids Samantha, Nick and Em for their love and support … the career demands meant that I was pretty selfish with the time that the job took, they never blinked….. we just celebrated the time we had together.
Likewise I am grateful to my parents and 6 siblings for the loving and supportive environment we had growing up in Penguin, it was just the best place to grow up. More than anything I am grateful that my family and I have our health, happiness and sense of humour, that's the most important thing….. the rest is a distant second
Any regrets?
None……looking forward to all that the next chapter throws up……..
No comments:
Post a Comment