A former Queensland Trade and Investment Commissioner will be the inaugural CEO of the Australian Retail Council (ARC).
Chris Rodwell will step into the Sydney-based role in March, when the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) and the National Retail Association (NRA) merge to form the new ARC entity.
ARA President Nicole Sheffield said Mr Rodwell, currently CEO of the Chamber of Commerce & Industry of Western Australia (CCIWA) was a proven leader in the Australian business community.
Ms Sheffield said he would play a key role in elevating the critical contribution the retail sector made to the Australian economy and communities across the nation.
She said Mr Rodwell had a powerful track record supporting the growth and development of Australian business.
“Chris is a strategic and transformational leader with an outstanding set of commercial and advocacy achievements within associations and working with and within government and the private sector.
“The opportunities and the challenges have never been greater for our sector which contributes 18 percent of the country’s gross domestic product and employs one in 10 Australians.”
NRA Chair Antony Moore said Mr Rodwell was deeply connected within business and government and brought an exciting vision to the retail sector.
“Chris has been powerfully supporting Australia’s business and economic growth for decades,” Mr Moore said.
“In his current role, Chris secured significant advocacy outcomes for some of the country’s largest businesses alongside small to medium size businesses.”
Mr Rodwell was the Queensland Director for employer organisation Australian Industry Group, before becoming a Queensland Government Trade & Investment Commissioner for the Americas up until 2013.
He has been with the CCIWA since 2018, following stints with Austrade and the Australian Chamber of Commerce & Industry.
Mr Rodwell said that he was determined to work with the combined team to elevate the role of the retail sector in Australia’s economy and society.
“The Australian Retail Council will be the unified home for retailers across the country. The sector is critically exposed to the major risks that are faced more broadly by businesses across the economy. Our role will be to help our members stare down those risks and, wherever we can, flip them into opportunities,” he said.
