Iain Nairn: Laura Ashley, Witchery, Country Rd, David Jones, & Hudsons Bay.
When Iain Nairn walks into a room, he brings over 40 years of global retail experience — and a lifetime of lessons in leadership, resilience, and reinvention.
From his early days with Laura Ashley in the UK to record-breaking years at Country Road Group, a short but powerful stint at David Jones, and a complete digital reinvention of Hudson’s Bay in Canada, Iain has led through every challenge retail can throw at you — turnarounds, acquisitions, cultural clashes, and even a global pandemic.
But its not all beer and skittles. In this conversation, we unpack:
The challenges of managing the multi platform, multi geographic model of Laura Ashley
The success of Witchery and Country Rd when they were powerhouses of Australian retail
The challenges of business model transformation under pressure
The transformation of David Jones under new ownership — and why he chose to leave at the height of its success
The reinvention of Hudson’s Bay, one of the world’s oldest retailers, into a modern digital marketplace.
What leadership really looks like when pressure is relentless, the future is uncertain, and you still have to inspire people to perform.
It’s a powerful look inside the mind of a CEO who’s led billion-dollar brands, faced boardroom politics head-on, and still believes retail is a human story — not just a balance sheet.
