Association CEO Index 2024 - Flipbook - Page 11
Association CEO Index 2024
11
Business feature
Paul Zahra
Former CEO
Australian Retailers Association (ARA)
Christmas just won’t be the same without him.
After decades as a leading influence in retail, including
16 years at David Jones and his recent time as the CEO
of the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) where his
eloquent news grabs about our festive spending trends
became a fixture in the media every summer holidays,
Paul Zahra will finally have a Christmas off in 2024.*
After almost five years, Paul recently stepped down
from the top job at ARA in the pursuit of his next
career challenge.
“It has been an honour and privilege to lead the
Australian retail industry and the ARA team through the
most challenging five-year period in the history of the
sector,” Paul says.
“As the ARA progresses to amalgamate with the National
Retail Association (NRA), a professional goal I have long
advocated for, I now believe I have completed what I set
out to do for the sector.
“I have done my bit for the industry that has been so
generous to me, and it's now time for me to reset and
refresh for new challenges.
“During the past five years, I have worked hard with the
team to build the ARA and the retail sector brand to a
strong position of profile, power and political influence.
“For me, it’s not a goodbye to the industry, it’s a thank
you.”
The ARA is the largest and oldest retail association in the
country, beginning life as the Master Retailers
Association of NSW in 1903, adopting its current name in
1974 and officially becoming a national body in 2006.
It represents a sector that is worth $420 billion and
employs more than 1.4 million people – or roughly one in
every 10 Australians.
Paul says unwavering resourcefulness is among the
qualities required to successfully lead a not-for-profit
industry association, reflecting that his workforce at
David Jones was around 10,000 people-strong,
compared to ARA’s team of 35.
“That’s the thing about member-based associations,”
he says.
“You’ve got to be purpose driven; it really is a vocation.
"You’ve got to have a curious mind, and you’ve got to be
super resourceful. And that's where partnerships,
sponsorships and collaborations become so important.
“I’m very grateful for my time at the ARA. I have loved it
and I am particularly proud of a few key achievements.
“Among that crisis situation of COVID, I am most proud of
the resilience of my team and leading the industry
through the pandemic.
“As a CEO, you can choose to keep your head below the
parapet and I haven’t. Amongst the heavy policy agenda,
I’ve chosen to also drive a lot of leadership platforms.
“I drove a strong agenda around diversity, equity and
inclusion. We developed a gender equality statement,
and we rallied retailers to sign up. We took it further and
did the same thing for First Nations people during the
referendum and for LGBTQIA+ people during World Pride
and we’re now working to amplify people living with
disabilities.
“The other area I focused on was sustainability. We
developed a roadmap with the UN for sustainable
practices that all retailers could follow.
“Those things make me feel good. It’s such a privilege
to be able to use our voice for the better.”
And you get the sense that Paul is most energised when
that voice is united and harmonious.
