Chris Rodwell has been announced as the inaugural CEO of the Australian Retail Council (ARC), a new entity formed through the amalgamation of the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) and the National Retail Association (NRA).
Rodwell, who is currently CEO of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Western Australia (CCIWA), will officially step into the role in March 2025.
Nicole Sheffield, President of the ARA, praised Rodwell’s appointment, saying they are thrilled to have secured Rodwell to lead the future amalgamated entity, the Australian Retail Council.
The ARC, set to represent and advocate for Australia’s $430 billion retail sector, marks a new chapter for an industry that employs one in ten Australians and contributes 18 per cent to the nation’s gross domestic product.
“Chris is a strategic and transformational leader with an outstanding set of commercial and advocacy achievements within associations and working with and within government and the private sector,” said Sheffield.
Antony Moore, Chair of the NRA, echoed these sentiments, describing Rodwell as a leader deeply connected within both business and government.
“Chris has been powerfully supporting Australia’s business and economic growth for decades. In his current role, Chris secured significant advocacy outcomes for some of the country’s largest businesses alongside small to medium-sized businesses. He also led a significant cultural change program which saw transformative commercial expansion of CCIWA and outstanding membership retention and acquisition.
“We look forward to drawing on Chris’s acumen and strategic skill set to ensure a strong retail recovery for our retail sector and the sustainable growth and expansion of the Australian Retail Council.”
Reflecting on his new role, Rodwell shared his commitment to championing the retail sector’s role in Australia’s economy and society.
“The Australian Retail Council will be the unified home for retailers across the country. The sector is critically exposed to the major risks that are faced more broadly by businesses across the economy. Our role will be to help our members stare down those risks and, wherever we can, flip them into opportunities.
“Whether it’s managing shifts in geopolitics and supply chains, acting on AI or broader digital opportunities, responding to sustainability and energy challenges, managing a complex regulatory environment, winning the war for talent or building trust, we’re determined to flex with Australian retailers in every way we can.”
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