The CEO turning “good humans” into a business strategy at Officeworks
At Officeworks, the purpose is simple and ambitious, to help make bigger things happen for customers, team members and communities. Under Managing Director Sarah Hunter, that purpose now has a very human heartbeat, a deep commitment to gender equity, inclusion and belonging.
Since stepping into the role in 2019, Sarah has set a clear tone. This will be a team centric, values led business where flexibility, respect and being a good human really matter. Internally, she is known as a curious and bold leader who empowers others to lead, and who makes sure every voice can be heard.
Her leadership mantra, “recruit for will, train for skill”, has fundamentally shifted how Officeworks thinks about careers. Since June 2020, there have been more than 1700 promotions, 1600 secondments and 12,000 transfers across the business, a powerful sign that talent is being grown from within and that people can move, stretch and try new things.
“We seek people who are curious, bold and good humans. This values first approach ensures that our workforce is not only high performing, but also inclusive and aligned in purpose,” Sarah says.
One of her first major moves was the Growing Families Policy, designed to support working parents, especially mothers, with enhanced parental leave, flexible work options and IVF support. Critically, the policy is accessible from the first day of employment, removing the waiting periods that often disadvantage women and casual or part time workers. Team members talk about being able to plan a family without putting their career on hold.
Sarah has also championed the Officeworks Flexible Work Policy and hybrid working model. Grounded in the values of being good humans, curious and bold, team members can work from Officeworks locations or remotely, supported by a culture that prizes collaboration and trust. Flexibility is treated as a long term enabler of diverse careers, not a short term concession.
Recognising that equity starts with awareness, Sarah has led annual company wide gender pay gap reviews to ensure transparency and fairness. Recruitment technology has been introduced to reduce unconscious bias and emphasise values alignment in hiring decisions. The result is sustained gender balance, with Officeworks exceeding its 40,40,20 gender leadership target. Today, 43 percent of leaders Managers identify as female.
Her commitment to inclusion extends strongly to First Nations communities. Sarah has driven the launch of the Deadly Stores Program, now active in 23 stores nationally. These stores create culturally safe spaces that embrace Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander traditions and support the recruitment, retention and development of Indigenous team members. Since Indigenous recruitment began being tracked in June 2020, representation has grown from 2.4 percent to 3.32 percent, with clear intent to go further.
Beyond retail, Sarah has expanded Officeworks’ impact in education equity. Through long standing partnerships with The Smith Family and the Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation, Officeworks has raised more than $1.95 million this year alone, supporting over 2,100 students with school essentials and literacy programs. Since FY2020, the business, together with its customers, has contributed more than $35 million to communities and supported more than 84,000 students.
True inclusion is not a side project at Officeworks, it is central to how the company operates. Sarah Hunter is not only driving change inside one organisation, she is offering a blueprint for what values led, gender equal leadership can look like in modern retail.