Each issue we ask industry leaders five questions about their working life. This month we talk to the joint managing director for Goodman Fielder Australia Kinda Grange.
1 Tell us about your current role.
I am joint managing director of Goodman Fielder Australia (GFA). It is a privilege to lead our team of more than 1500 employees all around the country and what excites me the most is the opportunity to deliver on our purpose to make everyday food better, for everyone during what will be one of our most transformative periods in history.
At GFA we manufacture, package, distribute, market, and sell a wide range of food products and ingredients across retail, foodservice, and B2B channels.
To give you a sense of scale we sell over 200 million loaves of bread annually and 90 per cent of households would have at least one of our products.
2 What has been your greatest achievement so far?
It’s hard to say! Most recently, I am very proud that the GF team has step-changed our commitment to sustainability through our Better Together Sustainability strategy. As a leading food business, we know we have a big role to play in ensuring food is a force for good. While sustainability has always been part of our business, in the last 12 months we’ve taken some big steps forward to embed it across our business, culture, brands, and products.
Being at the helm of an organisation throughout Covid has been a challenging yet rewarding experience. We have worked so hard to keep our teams safe, while continuing the essential supply of food across the country; something we can all be very proud of.
3 What was your biggest mistake and what did you learn?
One lesson I learned very early in my career was that there is no single model of great leadership. I had an image of what a ‘leader’ was in my mind, and when I was thrust into my first team leadership role, I learned the hard way that we each need to find our own authentic way to lead.
4 What would you tell your 25-year-old self?
That being curious, really listening, and asking the right questions is much more important than feeling like you need to have all the answers.
5 What is one goal you still want to achieve?
Gosh, there are many! Currently, the GF leadership team and I are focused on transformation and aiming to become the leading integrated food business in the region. I’m looking forward to seeing this translate into profitable growth for our business. In 2022, we’re investing in culture and leadership by placing people at the centre to what we do so we can achieve growth together and make every day better for everyone.
