'She Never Called': Foodstuffs CEO Chris Quin on Feeding NZ Through Covid

Chris Quin is the CEO of Foodstuffs North Island, a business with over $10 billion in turnover, 24,000 employees and more than 400 stores across brands like New World, PAK’nSAVE, and Four Square.

This is part of the Chris Quin story – a look at the man behind the title. We talk about losing both of his parents at a young age, the lessons that shaped how he leads today.

We get into career setbacks, including missing out on the CEO role at Telecom and what that taught him about resilience.

There’s some great management lessons and insight into what makes a strong leader, from a guy who has done it at the highest level imaginable for a very long time.

And lots of fascinating insights about running 400 grocery stores through the pandemic when Kiwis were panic buying toilet paper, and the reality of leading a team of people who face abuse or violence on a daily basis. This is a masterclass on what it takes to lead at the very top.

I loved meeting and getting to learn more about CQ and I’m sure you will too.

*** Massive thanks to my long-term podcast sponsors, Generate.

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I became a client when they came on board as the show sponsor and it’s been a game changer for me personally- I’m kicking myself for not doing it years earlier.

You can book a no obligation chat with one of their awesome KiwiSaver advisers at generatekiwisaver.co.nz/dom

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0:00 Introduction: Career setbacks and resilience 5:42 Beyond the title: Who is Chris Quin? 14:16 Average day and maintaining physical well-being 20:25 Leadership philosophy: Continuous learning 28:12 Building connection and positive leadership 37:38 The competitive grocery landscape in New Zealand 39:32 Leading through the pandemic: Essential workers and supply chains 42:37 Early leadership challenges: The 'shoulder tap' 53:46 Lessons from Telecom and Spark 59:26 Duplicating crisis collaboration in day-to-day work 1:08:12 'Much good done, not done yet' 1:14:48 Handling difficult conversations and giving feedback 1:20:25 Perspectives on working from home and team culture 1:22:27 Feeding New Zealand during Covid-19 1:31:33 Government and business engagement 1:46:53 Staying authentic under pressure 1:48:36 The power of handwritten notes and human connection 1:56:48 Parenting and maintaining family relationships 1:58:31 Reflections on grief and eulogies 2:06:39 Legacy: How to be remembered