Regular readers will know that, over the years, I have visited many shops in many countries, and regardless of where I travel to in the world, there is always a constant – I visit local supermarkets and do a food shop. The demand from our clients for the best traders in the world means that I have to know what is on the shelves, what the trends are in grocery stores and most importantly, how the stores are laid out and merchandised.
There’s something thrilling about making your way down each aisle, looking at produce you can’t get at home, and discovering what the norm is for different people all over the world. Grocery is an industry shaped by local habits and cultural nuance – which may help explain why, across the top ten grocers globally (by revenue), 61% of executives have worked internationally, gaining experience in markets beyond their own. But what is it that draws so many leaders to spend time outside their domestic markets?
A graduate of the ‘Archie Norman/Alan Leighton School of Grocery’ when they ran ASDA in the ‘90’s, Steven Cain made a move to the Southern Hemisphere in 2003 to lead Coles (twice!) and Metcash (IGA/Foodland) in between. When I spoke to him, he explained why the majority of leaders in the sector have moved worldwide. “It builds resilience and broadens the mind,” he tells me. “In my early career, I was encouraged to go out and visit retailers internationally, and see what I could learn.” Looking at different markets, it becomes apparent that grocery is not a one-size-fits all model, and, instead, continually adapts and moulds to serve local requirements. In the US and UK, for instance, many consumers religiously embark on their weekly ‘big shop’, picking up ingredients for the week ahead in one fell swoop, whereas, in areas such as Southern Europe and Asia, there is a much firmer focus on purchasing food daily. These local nuances crop up everywhere.
Even factors such as whether customers drive to the supermarket or not – like in the US, South Africa and Australia – impact store formats and strategy. If you were to visit Japan, for example, you may see a greater number of smaller stores that suit a high-density urban environment, as they are easier to access daily and have a pointed focus on convenience. Travel to the US, South Africa or Australia where people are more likely to drive to the store and buy more in one go, and you may see that supermarkets, and even hypermarkets, with large car parks in more remote locations are more common.
It is these seemingly obvious but easily overlooked distinctions that made Brad Banducci’s experience overseas so valuable. Originally from South Africa, he is the former CEO of Woolworth’s Australia and New Zealand and when I caught up with him, he told me: “My first real international move was when I joined Woolworth’s in Australia, after having worked in South Africa. That experience of moving between markets really shaped my understanding of how different grocery retail can be from one country to another.”
Walmart has a real knack for picking the best talent in the world and developing them into world class retailers. When it, bought Asda in 1999, Judith McKenna was working in finance. After becoming COO of Asda, Walmart snapped her up and took her to Bentonville where she had a stellar career for over ten years. Now on the Boards of Unilever and Delta Airlines and recognised as a leading woman in business, she hired some of the best talent from Asda in her move to Bentonville. Kirsty Ward was one of these hires, and she told me of her time there: “You experience so many differences: in the market you’re approaching, in your interactions, in the culture and in the way you get stuff done. You can bring so much to the role as well as taking away a huge number of learnings from it.”
“It builds resilience and broadens the mind. In my early career, I was encouraged to go out and visit retailers internationally, and see what I could learn.” – Steven Cain
This difference that both Brad and Kirsty note also feeds into understanding the divergence between regulatory frameworks. For example, Australia has a particularly stringent body in the ACCC which has the government-backed right to impose large fines nationally for non-compliance. In the EU, however, enforcement is handled nationally – even if a grocer has sites across EU countries, each one will be at the whim of that member state. These more practical differences make it clear that what works at home doesn’t always work abroad.
However, movement internationally doesn’t simply benefit the individual’s personal development, it can have a transformative impact on the business too. Steven reflected on how drawing on expertise from abroad supported Coles’ development in digital innovation. “After lagging the market, the technology that Coles has now is probably up there with the best global peers because it’s reinvested so much of its profits back into the right technology,” he tells me. “That wouldn’t have been possible so quickly without the influx of overseas talent to compliment the local team.” He went on to explain that the majority of this talent came from the UK, US and South Africa. “In some ways,” he told me, “we were lucky that Australia is viewed so positively by executives internationally – apart from the distance of course.”
Kirsty agrees, telling me that when she moved internationally, it was a team of ex-Asda colleagues who spearheaded the roll-out of click & collect and grocery home shopping at Walmart. In the UK, these omnichannel capabilities had existed for over a decade, but in the US, they were a new concept.
Working across multiple markets also exposes leaders to highly diverse teams, fostering the ability to manage and leverage different perspectives effectively. Kirsty explains: “When I was working in the US, I felt firsthand what it was like to be an outsider, what it felt like to not fully understand the norms and the culture.
“One of the things I always ask my teams now is what lived experience have you got in terms of feeling like an outsider? If you can’t answer, maybe you need to think about taking yourself outside of your comfort zone, because that experience has been invaluable to me.”
Research by McKinsey shows that ethnically and culturally diverse companies are 36% more likely to outperform their peers, highlighting the tangible benefits of inclusion. Leaders who rotate internationally experience first hand how team dynamics, communication styles, and decision-making approaches vary across region and this exposure encourages curiosity, empathy, and adaptability, and enables them to bring out the best in their teams by working collaboratively.
“I always ask my teams now is what lived experience have you got in terms of feeling like an outsider? If you can’t answer, maybe you need to think about taking yourself outside of your comfort zone.” – Kirsty Ward
Take UK grocery today – CEO, Stuart Machin spent eight years honing his skills abroad, with a move from Asda and Sainsburys to Wesfarmers, while Alex Freudmann, who now heads up food for M&S, had a great career at Tesco before spending 12 years in Australia. In the reverse, 15 years ago, Ashwin Prasad, UK CEO of Tesco, came to live in the UK out of New Zealand where he had had a solid FMCG career.
Ultimately, international experience shapes leaders in ways that go far beyond operational expertise. Exposure to different markets and diverse teams helps them spot universal patterns while remaining sensitive to local nuances, balancing insight with curiosity and adaptability. It fosters strategic humility, encouraging leaders to observe, question, and learn before acting, and equips them to navigate complex regulatory, technological, and cultural landscapes. For businesses, this outward-looking approach drives innovation, strengthens collaboration, and opens doors to new opportunities. In grocery retail, as in other global sectors, the ability to combine global perspective with local understanding is increasingly a defining trait of successful leadership, and is one that benefits both individuals and the organisations they lead.
