One of Australia’s biggest hardware chain stores, Blackwoods, has undergone wholesale changes with much of the senior management team either leaving or going on an extended break.
Wesfarmers – the giant parent of the $1.7bn-valued company – is playing down the big shift in the executive team for the industrial supplies business, despite changes to its CEO, CCO and CFO positions.
Blackwoods sells tools and safety equipment as well as mining and engineering supplies. The company has more than 5,000 staff in 200 outlets across Australia.
In late May, David Baxby, Wesfarmers industrials division managing director, announced that Peter Kelly, Blackwoods’ CEO, would leave the company to “pursue opportunities outside of Wesfarmers”.
In his message to staff, seen by Guardian Australia, Baxby said Kelly would be available in an advisory capacity until December, and “leaves the business in a much better place than when he arrived”.
In his place was long-time Wesfarmers exec Rachael McVitty as interim CEO, and then ultimately CEO.
On Thursday last week, McVitty emailed staff to say that Blackwoods’ chief commercial officer James Pyne would be going on a “one-year career break” from 1 January 2020, with an intention he would return to Blackwoods in 2021.
As a result of this responsibilities being split into other executives roles, McVitty said the company’s chief financial officer Elodie Guillaumond was “exploring role opportunities and options across the Wesfarmers group” and in her place Michael Dixon would be the company’s new CFO, coming from being CFO of Wesfarmers resources.
A general manager and an executive assistant also had their roles made redundant and McVitty announced they would both leave the business.
A spokesperson for Wesfarmers said the restructure was “not unusual” with a new CEO coming into the business and while two general manager roles were removed, there were four new regional general manager jobs across Queensland, Western Australia, south-eastern Australia and NSW/ACT to shift the company’s focus on regional sales.
