Chris Wilesmith CEO Mitre10 NZ

The Business Wilderness - The Voice of Entrepreneurs

Chris's Story:

As a passionate retailer I will never forget that first chapter of my career those many years ago when my manager and one of my life mentors said to me "young Chris, you have one of the most important jobs in the business collecting shopping trolleys". "Really?" I replied. He then explained that trolleys are what help customers shop and makes the registers ring. It was then that I learned that every person contributes to the success of a business and it's this lesson that still guides my leadership today.
With more than 20 years of executive retail experience, I have steered commercial growth, strengthened customer advocacy, elevated team engagement and provided strategic foresight to some of Australia's largest retail brands. Today as a CEO I pride myself on creating environments for teams to drive transformational growth strategies that consistently deliver unprecedented improvements in revenue, profitability and organisational value.
Helping people be the best they can is what makes me tick, and it's because of this that I have a reputation for connecting high-performing teams to deliver strategic and commercial outcomes - consistently.
My personal and professional philosophy is best summed up in my treks to Everest: reaching the summit takes drive, passion, learning and both giving and receiving support from those around you. Just like the lesson I learned pushing trolleys, it takes a whole team to reach the top.
Specialties:
► Over 20 years of executive retail business acumen and experience.
► National retail experience, leading teams of thousands to win multiple retail awards.
► Defining corporate visions and strategies that deliver significant and sustainable growth.