Changing The Game

Coming Quickly to the Realisation That He Could Turn His Passion for Retail Into a Career, Heinemann Australia’s Managing Director, Richard Goodman, Is Ready to Take the Brand Into the Future.

- Jennifer Sijnja

Heinemann Australia’s Managing Director, Richard Goodman, is driven by a desire “to bring a fresh and innovative approach to what has been a relatively unchanged industry for more than 30 years”. Changing the duty-free retail model is no mean feat, but Richard, with the support of the Heinemann global team, would be the man for the job. He started his retail career at age 17, while studying for a Bachelor of Agricultural Economics. Quickly promoted to a leadership position, Richard, aged 18, realised that he had the opportunity to “turn my passion into my career”, and left university to focus on retail. He has now clocked up 16 years “at the coalface of retail”, and recently completed an Executive MBA at the University of Technology Sydney.

Joining Heinemann as its Head of Operations in February 2017, Richard became Managing Director in April 2018. One of the reasons he loves working for the retailer is also a reason for the company’s success. It is a family-run business, something Richard considers “both unfamiliar to and unusual in the marketplace”, with business driven by quality relationships and sustainable growth rather than shareholder value.