UPDATED: Lisa Ronson reflects on the decision to leave Coles

Former CMO50 number 1 finishes up at the supermarket giant at the end of September

There might be a host of brand achievements to her name, but Lisa Ronson says it’s her impact on people through authentic and caring leadership that’s arguably one of her greatest legacies as a CMO to date.

Ronson yesterday announced she’s leaving Coles after three-and-a-half years as its chief marketing officer in order to take her career in a new direction.

The well-known and experienced marketing chief made the announcement on LinkedIn, saying she was proud of being part of the Coles team during what has been a challenging and unprecedented time, but knew it was the moment for a fresh challenge. She officially finishes at the end of September.

“It’s with sadness today that I announce I’ve decided to move on from Coles Group to pursue a number of exciting new career interests,” Ronson’s post read. “I would like to express my thanks for all the support and opportunities Coles has given me over the past three-and-a-half years. Being part of Coles’s success during some very challenging times and seeing the company grow into one of Australia’s most trusted brands is something I feel immensely proud to have been a part of.”  

Ronson joined Coles in May 2019 and was the first c-level marketing chief the business had employed for some time. She came with a wealth of experience across categories, from FMCG to payments, banking, retail and tourism. During her tenure as CMO of Tourism Australia, Ronson was awarded the number one position in the CMO50 list of Australia’s most innovative and effective marketing leaders in 2018. Other brands on her resume include Westpac, CUB, David Jones and Visa.

Among the milestone marketing achievements Ronson highlighted were leading the digital transformation of marketing communications, launched the Coles Media business, landing the organisation’s ‘Value the Australian Way’ brand platform and its breakthrough ‘Together to Zero’ sustainability platform. Commercial partnerships and community programs have also been a focus, such as those with the Australian Football League and AFL Women, the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation, Great Barrier Reef Foundation and Aussie Ark.

Ronson said she was also particularly proud of having developed a strong and highly engaged marketing team at Coles. And speaking to CMO following the news, Ronson said it was getting her full leadership team of five general managers in order that proved the last achievement she needed to pursue a new career path. The most recent of these was Paul Brooks, who joined Coles as GM of media in March.

“It was the final thing I wanted to do and did,” she said.

Ronson is now looking to focus on a number of new opportunities, including non-executive directorship positions, and has completed the AICD course. She also highlighted her recently appointed role as Adjunct Professor of Marketing at Deakin University as one that’s opening up a new way of helping educate future marketers. The appointment came off the back of work Coles has been doing with the tertiary institution, as well as guest lecturing Ronson had undertaken.

“Students responded well and as education is a passion of mine, I’m excited to be pursuing that further,” she said. “Getting practical experience of marketing is so important. I remember when I did my undergraduate degree, no one had that practical experience; there were great learnings but they were all theoretical.”

As to her legacy as a CMO, Ronson said her answer would possibly have been different 24 hours ago, prior to announcing her departure from the supermarket giant. She noted the wealth of messages and thanks she’d received from people she’s worked with over her full career as well as in the industry.

“The consistent message they were saying was you have touched people’s lives,” she said. For Ronson, it was evidence of the power of care and authenticity in leadership.

“It’s been the way I’ve lead teams - I believe trying to be anyone else is too exhausting. But these comments showed I’ve impacted people’s lives more than I anticipated. It’s small gestures generally, but it’s that impact on people that I’m feeling most proud of,” Ronson said.

Ronson agreed it was also evidence of the significance and impact a CMO can have when steward of a brand as iconic to Australian society as Coles.

Ronson’s departure comes at a time of significant CMO movement in Australia across categories. Commenting on this, Ronson suggested many have had difficult experiences during the pandemic, from tourism to other retail categories.

“Coming out of that, people I think just made different life choices,” she said. “I suspect this [CMO] movement is showing those moments of reflection for many people generally.”

What Ronson is in no doubt of, however, is the significance and power the CMO position commanded during the pandemic.

“The CMO needs to be central to making decisions in the organisation,” she said. “Being so close to the team and consumers and the things they were facing, which could change depending on the day or eve hour, my colleagues wanted to stay close to me to stay close to the customer. It shows marketing having its fingers on the pulse of the customer and the power of that when having to make decisions in shorter time frames.”

As more and more organisations work to reset and fix their sights on growth, Ronson saw increased investment into brand positioning as further proof of the role CMOs can play in the next normal.

“During the pandemic, some brands recognised they were not as well insulated, and have been too tactical or too short term. That reset we are seeing is very good and important – it’s organisations taking a different, honest look at their brands and what they really need to deliver.”  

What’s next for the CMO role at Coles

Coles CEO, Steve Cain, has now confirmed a local and international search is underway to find Ronson’s replacement. In the interim, Coles chief executive of commercial and Coles Express, Leah Weckert, will assume a caretaker role across the marketing team and five GMs from mid-September.

“I would like to thank Lisa for her significant contribution to Coles. She leaves behind a strong and engaged marketing team and a long list of achievements including the digital transformation of our marketing communications as we stopped delivering paper catalogues door to door, along with the launch of our Value the Australian Way and Together to Zero platforms,” Cain said in an email to staff.

“Notably, during Lisa’s time, Coles became one of Australia’s most trusted brands, which is a significant milestone we can all be proud of.

“We are working through transition arrangements with Lisa and anticipate that she will leave Coles in September. We have commenced a local and global search to fill this important ELT role.”

Nominations for the CMO50 2022 list of Australia's most innovative and effective marketing leaders are closing on 26 August 2022! Don't miss this opportunity to be recognised among the best marketers this country has to offer as well as celebrate your team's achievements get your questionnaire completed now: https://www.cmo.com.au/cmo50/

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