Family Values: Catherine Harris on Leading the Harris Farm Markets
Listen now
Description
What entrepreneur wouldn't dream of turning a single store into a thriving chain of outlets? Few succeed, but someone who has is Catherine Harris, chair of Harris Farm Markets. With her husband David as CEO, Catherine co-founded the business in 1972 with a small fruit and vegetable shop in the western Sydney suburb of Villawood. It has since grown into an operation with a chain of 22 stores and three butchers across the state of New South Wales and more than 1000 employees. Harris Farm Markets was a trailblazer in being the first Australian fresh produce business to serve its customers in the style of a supermarket. From the start, the family-run concern has bought its goods from the Sydney Markets at Flemington, near the site of the 2000 Olympics. Harris Farm Markets continues to be based there. Catherine Harris has maintained a close association with the University of New South Wales since completing her degree in the late 1960s at what was then the faculty of commerce, which is now the Australian School of Business. An Officer of the Order of Australia, Catherine has held other prominent directorships and sat on a number of boards. She is currently a commissioner of the Australian Rugby League and Honorary Consul General for Bhutan.
More Episodes
When a quarter of your workforce is heading for the door, it's time for some serious strategic thinking. One Australian organisation is tackling the outflow of thousands of mature-age workers by 2015 with a series of policy changes and initiatives that not only glean vital information for the...
Published 05/01/19
A new inquiry into the activities of Australia's central bank subsidiary, Securency, has brought the prevalence of bribery in international business dealings back into the spotlight. Demands for "grey money" are commonplace when negotiating deals in many developing nations. While multinational...
Published 05/01/19
The global financial crisis delivered new opportunities to re-engineer the workforce with an increased focus on flexibility for both employers and employees. But dangers lurk in the short-term cost-cutting approach embraced by many organisations. The arrangements – and, in some cases, the...
Published 05/01/19