Interview with Rob Chester, former MD NSF International, ex Walmart China, Asda & Tesco

Rob Chester studied law before getting into retail, having worked his way through Uni at the local Tesco.

His father had given him advice as a young man - offering three options, become a doctor,  a lawyer, or an accountant. Counting wasn't his strength and he couldn't stand the sight of blood. So he ended up being a lawyer running shops. Which came in handy when he started to look at the compliance rules that were dished out by head of office.

He was brave, pointed out the obvious problems, and created a much clearer one page summary - and was offered a trial.

From there he went off round the world doing a variety of compliance roles - then joined Asda, then Walmart China, a stint in the US at Walmart HQ, and most recently has headed up the compliance and certification organisation NSF International as it's European Food Managing Director.

But it was as a store manager at Tesco that he learned some of the key skills required to lead people. One of his father's tips was when you change jobs, write down one thing you're going to copy and take with you, and one thing you'll leave behind.

A key learning was focusing on the customer - Terry Leahy (Tesco's CEO in the 1990s/2000s) had an absolute obsession with customers - he ensured you put the customer at the centre of every decision. 

Rob is a student of leadership - he engenders trust - people want to be led by him. He still maintains a cohort of mentees from his days in China. 

So when he joined NSF as a new starter, he created a YouTube video to introduce himself to his field-based team to demonstrate his humility, and his open door approach to wanting to hear what was really going on. 

He told a story about a  mistake he made with pickled onions - which led him to speak to colleagues and customers, to hear first hand why he had got it wrong. 

He always aspired to be the type of leader who knows what is going on on the ground. 

On the issue of trust - he says there aren't any shortcuts - you've got to show day after day, week after week that you behave consistently and listen consistently. 

He's always encouraged boards to take 'conscious risks'. In order to do this you have to remain in touch. 

One of his biggest mentors worked in retail and visited 10 stores, and asked for feedback from 10 colleagues on the shopfloor - 100 pieces of feedback a week. Always able to keep his finger on the pulse.

Rob gets his energy and inspiration by being disciplined to focus on simple things like exercising every day, eating healthily, sleeping well (including watching comedy before bedtime to help his brain switch off). 

🎧 Listen now wherever you get your podcasts, and please rate or share if it resonated.