Show Notes
He never planned on a career in retail.
Growing up in Sydney as one of seven children, Stephen was more interested in music than school and dreamed of becoming an audio engineer. When that didn't work out, he fell almost accidentally into the Myer Grace Bros trainee management program — beginning a remarkable 40-year career in retail.
After 12 years at Myer, Stephen joined Nike, where he spent seven years in senior retail operations roles across Asia Pacific and the United States and helped open NIKETOWN Melbourne — the first NIKETOWN outside North America.
He went on to run Sunglass Hut's Australasian operations for Luxottica before becoming CEO of Jeanswest.
Then, in 2011, Stephen made the leap from corporate executive to entrepreneur, co-founding Retail Prodigy Group with former Nike Global Retail Director Charlie Baker.
Starting with the licence to operate Nike stores across Australia and New Zealand, RPG grew into a significant retail operation representing brands including Nike, Samsung, TOMS, Timbuk2 and Mattel. Stephen talks about raising the capital required to fund an ambitious store rollout, managing relationships with some of the world's biggest brands, building culture and leadership capability, and navigating the extraordinary disruption caused by online retail and COVID.
In 2024, Stephen sold Retail Prodigy Group and brought his four-decade retail career to a close.
But that's where the story comes full circle.
More than 40 years after first wanting to become an audio engineer, Stephen returned to his passion for music, launching Sabre Sound Studio with legendary Australian audio engineer Ern Rose, whose credits include John Farnham's Whispering Jack, The Angels and Little River Band.
In this episode, Stephen and I discuss:
His accidental entry into retail and 12 years at Myer What working inside Nike taught him about world-class retail Opening the first NIKETOWN outside North America His first CEO role at Jeanswest Building Retail Prodigy Group Raising capital and building a multi-brand licensed retail business The challenges of leading bricks-and-mortar retail through enormous disruption Why he decided to sell RPG in 2024 The biggest business and leadership lessons from his 40-year career Why he finally returned to his teenage ambition of working in music Building Sabre Sound Studio with Ern Rose The lessons he learned in business that nearly broke him
It’s a fascinating conversation about retail, entrepreneurship, leadership, reinvention — and ultimately finding your way back to where you wanted to be in the first place.
Contact:
Website: Jameshstewart.com Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-h-stewart-gaicd-83b46a9 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whatilearnedinbusiness YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_WgwbOVsSuzuvXEgqNTl4g
Sabre Sound studio: https://sabresoundstudio.com.au
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the host and guest and are provided for general information and discussion purposes only. They should not be relied upon as financial, investment, legal or business advice. Listeners should obtain their own independent professional advice before making any business, financial or investment decisions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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