Food Lover’s Market managing executive for people and sustainability Andrew Millson shares his approach for success in retail HR.
Nearing a decade in his role, Andrew Millson, managing executive for people and sustainability at Food Lover’s Market, sees HR at South Africa’s largest privately owned retailer as a culture-based role. “My role is about strengthening the culture at Food Lover’s Market and helping to build a business people are proud to be part of, and proud to see as a great South African brand,” says Andrew.
According to Andrew, the element of care is lacking in so many businesses. What sets Food Lover’s apart, he says, is it being a family business, whose founders are great human beings, which is a great start.
“We are not pretending to have a perfect culture. It is a journey. But we are intentional about building a culture of care. Too often, businesses reduce people to output. We have a responsibility to all our colleagues to take a people-first approach.”
“Leadership has the opportunity, and the responsibility, to change people’s lives. That sits at the heart of our purpose as an organisation,” Andrew adds.
Top of Food Lover’s Market’s mind today is changing lives across its business operations, making things better by investing in the professional and personal wellbeing of its people. “At Food Lover’s Market, changing lives means creating real opportunity. That includes building a diverse talent pipeline and backing people to grow. You can already see that in the business. Many of our senior leaders have grown through the organisation over time,” he notes.
Embedded sustainability
“For us, sustainability starts with people. It is about how we value them, how we develop them and how we create pathways for them to grow,” Andrew explains. “The Same Faces, Higher Places programme is designed to recognise talent that may previously have been overlooked, and to create opportunities for people from different backgrounds to grow into leadership.”
Reflecting on a business that currently employs 21,000 people, Andrew is quick to admit that even in the senior position he holds, there is extraordinary talent within the organisation waiting for opportunity. “There is extraordinary talent in this business. Our job is to recognise it, back it and create the opportunity for it to rise.”
This mindset is applied to Food Lover’s Market’s extended network, which includes local suppliers. “Seeds of Change is especially close to my heart because it is about opening doors for smaller suppliers who are doing meaningful work and creating social and environmental impact.”
Andrew describes the programme as something similar to a Dragons Den programme, where the top 10 suppliers are flown out to Cape Town to meet Food Lover’s Market’s exco, and pitch their businesses in order to become a supplier for the retailer.
“A great local supplier success story for us is Y-Waste. Through Earth Lovers, our sustainability division, we are focused on turning waste into something useful and impactful. Our partnership with YWaste is a strong example of that in action, helping us convert organic waste from our stores into compost that is then made available to customers in-store.”
A collective purpose
With a 21,000-strong diverse workforce, fostering a shared sense of purpose is no easy feat for Andrew. However, he’s learnt from the mistakes of the past and taken a fresher approach. “In the past, we overcomplicated purpose. If it only makes sense in the boardroom, it will not mean much on the shop floor. Purpose has to be simple, shared and real.”
According to Andrew, the organisation has done well in driving a shared purpose over the years, which was something sparked by the founder of Food Lover’s Market during a Christmas function. “What resonated with people was that it felt human and memorable, not like another generic purpose statement,” says Andrew.
Andrew also shares his takeaways about people and HR in retail. “Retail is demanding. It is long hours, constant pressure and a need to show up every day. But it has also taught me something important, that when you lead people with empathy, listen properly and stay open to their perspective, you build a stronger culture.”
When he’s not immersed in people and sustainability, Andrew finds solace in nature and the outdoors. Before taking on his role as head of HR at Food Lover’s Market, he embarked on a three-month sabbatical, journeying through Botswana and all the way to Mozambique in his Land Rover, camping out in the wild along the way.
On dry land, that’s his idea of adventure, but the ocean, his second favourite place, offers another outlet – surfing!
