It’s only taken 109 years, but Coles will finally be led by a woman, after Leah Weckert was announced as the next CEO of the supermarket chain on Tuesday morning.
Weckert will lead a team of 130,000 across Australia when she takes the helm from May 1, and becomes one of a tiny number of women leading ASX 200 companies.
Weckert has been with Coles since 2011, and a senior member of the executive leadership team since it demerged from Wesfarmers.
Her previous roles with the group include CFO, people and culture director, state General Manager of Victorian supermarkets, and chief executive of commercial and express.
She started her career in consulting at McKinsey & Co, and has a background in engineering, science and business.
“I am very honoured to be appointed as the next CEO of Coles, which has been such an important part of Australian retailing for more than 100 years, and play a part in its ongoing contribution to the Australian community,” she said in the ASX statement announcing the appointment.
Coles chairman James Graham described Weckert as “well positioned” to take the helm of Coles, replacing existing CEO Steven Cain. He noted her “outstanding track record of leadership and riving change inside Coles across key operating areas of the business.
“I am confident that Leah will maintain the focus of Coles in driving our strategy, building trust with all stakeholders and growing long-term shareholder value.”
He also described it as a “really important day in the history of Coles.”
The appointment was announced as the outgoing CEO presented Coles’ latest results, highlighting the impact of inflation on the supermarket chain and on shoppers’ spending habits — with Own brand sales increasing 12 per cent in the last quarter.