Guy Russo

Guy Russo is best known as the corporate leader behind one of Australia’s greatest business turn-arounds. As the CEO of Kmart, he turned Wesfarmers’ struggling business into one of Australia’s most popular and profitable retail businesses ever.  

Having started his career flipping burgers as a teenager, Guy climbed the corporate ladder until he reached various management positions in McDonald’s Australia, including as Managing Director and eventually CEO. Guy would shortly move overseas to act as President of McDonald’s in the greater China region. 

He served an incredible 33 years working for the globally beloved brand.

Wanting to give back to the community, Guy acted as the Director and Chairman of Ronald McDonald House Charities in Australia and Hong Kong. He also served as President of the international not-for-profit, OneSky, helping orphaned and at-risk children across Asia. 

When he became the group CEO of Wesfarmers’ Department Stores Division in 2016, Guy was in charge of leading Australia’s largest retail brands. Most notably, he turned Kmart from a struggling brand in 2008 to a major success story with a profit increase in 2018 that broke records across the sales sector. 

Since then, he has also lent his corporate expertise across a range of leadership positions, including as a Senior Advisor to Wesfarmers Limited, as well as Chairman and a major investor of the beloved Mexican restaurant chain Guzman y Gomez.

With decades of leadership experience across retail and restaurant sectors in the Asia Pacific region, Guy demonstrates his passion for leading business to new heights. His revolutionary approach to internal talent development emphasises the importance of an inclusive management team in reaching corporate success. 

A corporate leader, Guy draws on his professional expertise to speak on a range of engaging topics, including on retail businesses, doing business in China, ethical sourcing, leadership and talent development, as well as Diversity and Inclusion.