Wesfarmers appoints Kmart and Target boss John Gualtieri as new Officeworks CEO
WA conglomerate Wesfarmers has switched Kmart and Target boss John Gualtieri into the top job at Officeworks, where he will succeed Sarah Hunter.
Ms Hunter hands over to Mr Gualtieri in August after 15 years with the group — including the past six years at the helm of Officeworks — saying 'now is the right time for me to take on a new challenge'.
As CEO of Kmart and Target, Mr Gualtieri currently reports to new Kmart Group managing director Aleks Spaseska.
He joined Kmart in 2008 as the divisional merchandise manager for the home division and has held a number of senior roles in the business.
In 2016, Mr Gualtieri was appointed as Kmart chief operating officer and in 2021, was promoted as CEO. Two years later, when Target was folded into Kmart, he became the CEO of both businesses.
Wesfarmers managing director Rob Scott said Mr Gualtieri was a retailer with proven capabilities and experience leading large teams and delivering strong commercial outcomes.
Before joining Kmart, Mr Gualtieri spent 20 years at department store Myer in various operational roles.
'John has been an outstanding leader at Kmart Group, helping drive the transformation of Kmart since he joined the business in 2008,' Mr Scott said.
'John's deep retail and commercial experience, coupled with his leadership skills, will take Officeworks into its next phase of growth.
'John joins Officeworks at an exciting time, with the business focused on strengthening its omnichannel customer experience, transforming its technology offer and scaling its business-to-business operations.'
Mr Scott also acknowledged Ms Hunter's significant contribution to the group.
'For more than six years, Sarah has played a pivotal role in driving Officeworks' evolution and growth,' he said.
'Under her leadership, Officeworks has continued to grow and diversify the customer offer.'
Ms Hunter was appointed to the top job in 2019. She was previously the director of the demerger program at supermarket Coles, where she oversaw its separation from Wesfarmers in 2018.
'It has been a privilege to lead Officeworks. Since 2019, we have grown revenue by over 8 per cent per annum and made good progress on our strategic agenda,' Ms Hunter said.
Mr Gualtieri's appointment is the latest reshuffle for Wesfarmers. In December, it announced Ms Spaseska — then Kmart Group's chief financial officer — would take over from long-serving Kmart Group managing director Ian Bailey.
Mr Bailey was credited with rescuing the brand from a near-death experience and turning its house brand Anko into an Australian retail success story.
The West Australian last year revealed Anko was trialling standalone stores in the Philippines as part of the group's push into international markets.
Wesfarmers shares were up 0.8 per cent to $84.06 just before 10am on Tuesday.
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