Who got that job?

By LIANE VOISEY

Were you one of the people who applied for this job and wondered who got it?

Job title: Divisional manager general merchandise, Progressive Enterprises

Duncan McGhie, 39, began working with Progressive Enterprises last month, having been The Warehouse's national merchandise manager for six years.

McGhie has worked his way up the career ladder from the age of 17, when he joined LD Nathan, New Zealand's largest retailer at the time, and says he's "been through all the divisions of retail".

A lot of dedication and hard work has served him well in the 22 years since he started in retail operations, then moved into purchasing and buying, he says.

McGhie sees his challenge with his new job as putting his vision and strategy in place, developing his team of people and communicating clearly.

"I'm re-engineering the business from what it is today," says McGhie, of that vision.

"We're going to increase our offer of general merchandise in our supermarket stores," he says, something that will apply across all the brands the company operates - Foodtown, Countdown, SuperValue, FreshChoice, Woolworths, Big Fresh and Price Chopper.

"In my previous roles I was adding value to something. With this job I am re-inventing."

McGhie says he was attracted to the job by the opportunity to apply all his learning and industry knowledge to Progressive Enterprises.

"I'm starting with a clean whiteboard, starting at the basics, developing the business plan and strategy - then I've got to fit it all into place and deliver it," he says.

His advice for anyone considering a career in retail is "dedication, hard work and always keeping an open mind to what opportunities might arise and to what people have to say. You never know where it might lead."