Board of Directors
Rod Walker - Executive Chairman
Rod Walker joined the Board in October 2006 and was appointed Non-Executive Chairman in July 2007 and Executive Chairman in July 2008. He then led the company after the acquisition of Borders and the subsequent integration period, he reverted to the Non-Executive Chairman’s role in March 2010.
Rod has over 30 years experience in the hospitality and retail industries; working in Australia the United States and Canada and is currently Chairman of the retail chains Witchery Holdings Group Ltd, Godfreys Vacuum Cleaners, and is a Non-Executive Director of the Rebel Sport / Amart All Sport Group and Immune System Therapeutics Ltd.
His most recent CEO role was as Managing Director of the Freedom Group Limited; Freedom Group was a major retailer, manufacturer and importer of furniture and homewares in Australia and New Zealand and operated stores in the United Kingdom under the Cargo brand. At that time he sat on the board of AUD $ 5.5 billion Steinhoff International Holdings Group Limited.
He is a fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and the Australian Institute of Management.
He is a fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and the Australian Institute of Management.
Dave Fenlon - Group Managing Director
Dave Fenlon is Managing Director of REDgroup Retail. Dave has a wealth of experience and knowledge of the retail trade both in Australia and abroad. He has added to that a strong understanding of the book industry and the diverse challenges it brings.
Dave started his retail career with Safeway Plc in the UK in 1986 in a store management position, before progressing through various regional management roles, ultimately becoming a key member of a change programme tasked with enhancing the retail division’s ability to effectively build customer loyalty and drive sales at the customer interface. This was followed by a move to Hungary to take up the position of Operations Director for Tesco Plc, where he was responsible for store operations of 35 hypermarkets and 35 supermarkets, as well as the functions of retail, HR, finance, retail supply chain and new store opening divisions.
Rickard Gardell - Director
Rickard Gardell is currently a Managing Director of Pacific Equity Partners of which he was a co-founder in 1998. Prior to joining Pacific Equity Partners he was a director of Bain & Company. He has fourteen years of consulting experience in Europe, Asia and Australasia.
Rickard is currently a Director of The Communications Group and has previously held director roles with Frucor Beverages Group Limited and Vertex Group Holdings Limited. Rickard has a BSc from the Stockholm School of Economics.
Simon Pillar - Director
Simon Pillar is currently a Managing Director of Pacific Equity Partners of which he was a co-founder in 1998. Prior to joining Pacific Equity Partners he was a partner of Bain & Company. He has ten years of consulting experience in the United States, Asia and Australasia. Simon has been active in Australasia since 1990 and led Bain & Company's Singapore operation between 1995 and 1997.
Simon is currently a Director of AMR Interactive and The Communications Group. He was previously the Chairman of Frucor Beverages Group Limited and Vertex Group Holdings Limited. Simon has a BSc in Civil Engineering from the University of Bristol and an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Steve Cain - Non - Executive Director
Steven Cain joined the ARW Board as a Non-Executive Director in July 2007. Steven has a history of leading executive positions in the retail and consumer goods markets. He has been Group Managing Director (Food, Liquor and Fuel) at Coles Myer Ltd (Australia), CEO of Carlton Communications Plc (UK), and an Executive Director of Asda Plc (UK) during its turnaround in the 1990s. Steven currently serves on the Board of Godfreys.
At 34 Steven was the youngest ever CEO of a FTSE 100 company. He has also worked in finance for Kingfisher Plc and as a consultant for Bain & Co.
Steven holds a first class masters degree in chemical engineering from Imperial College, London and has also attended executive programs at London and Harvard Business Schools. He is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leader program.
Tony Ristevski - Director
Tony Ristevski has been the Chief Financial Officer for REDgroup Retail since he joined the business in October 2008. In addition to his CFO responsibilities, Tony also manages logistics, payroll, IT and leasing.
Prior to joining the group, Tony held various senior finance roles with Computershare Limited based across Australia, the US and the UK from 2000. Tony’s most recent role was CFO – Asia Pacific Region and Global Technology Group. During his time, Tony had undertaken numerous restructure and post acquisition integration roles both in Australia and globally. He was also the financial lead on many acquisitions, including their first public company takeover in Australia and establishing joint ventures in India and Japan.
Previous to Computershare, Tony was with Pacific Dunlop Limited having worked in Pacific Brands Group and Group Head Office. His roles focussed on financial systems and group reporting. Tony started his career in professional practise with Clarke & Company and later Coopers & Lybrand where he qualified as a Chartered Accountant. Tony has a bachelor of Commerce (Honours) and a MBA from Melbourne Business School.