Who We Are
When the first The Good Guys store (known at the time as Ian Muir’s Radio and Electrical Centre) opened in Melbourne’s northern suburbs in 1952, the company’s philosophy was to delight customers and ‘do good’.
Careful small acquisitions over the years provided the group with a strong foundation but it was the re-naming of the group to The Good Guys in 1998, under the leadership of Ian’s son, Andrew Muir, supported by the unique selling proposition Pay Less Pay Cash and the now iconic TV commercial, which prepared the company for national expansion.
What followed was the evolution of one of Australia’s leading retail brands.
Andrew Muir led the company through a period of rapid growth as CEO from 1993 – 2004 before handing over the reins to Michael Ford who remains as the company’s current CEO. As Executive Chairman of The Good Guys Board from 2004 – 2016, Andrew continued to play an active role in the strategic direction of the company, and was a driving force behind The Good Guys’ philanthropic program.
From humble beginnings, The Good Guys quickly became a household name, setting the standard for customer satisfaction and community giving, while continually evolving to meet ever-changing consumer needs.
This customer-centric approach is also reflected in the company’s ongoing commitment to support and strengthen the communities in which it operates, and its Local Giving which supports some 100 cause partners across Australia.
In November 2016 JB Hi-Fi Limited acquired The Good Guys, identifying the brand to be a strong strategic fit. With plans to operate the complementary businesses independently this partnership has created a new force in Australian retailing.
Executive Profiles
Terry Smart
Chief Executive Officer
Terry joined The Good Guys as CEO in April 2017 with a proven track record as one of Australia’s best retail executives, having previously held CEO, COO and Director roles with JB Hi-Fi and Kodak Retail. During his time as CEO of JB Hi-Fi, Terry was responsible for driving their store-roll out program growing the retailer from 10 to 182 stores and launching the JB Hi-Fi Home strategy. He has over 30 years retail management experience and is focused on building on The Good Guys many strengths and continuing to grow the brand as part of the JB Hi-Fi Group.
Peter Dowling
Chief Finance Officer
Peter is an experienced CFO who joined The Good Guys in 1998. With over 30 years of financial and management experience, Peter has been responsible for driving the financial performance of the company and implementing solutions to maximise shareholder value. His portfolio includes Finance, Business Assurance and the newly created Commercial Division.
Geoff Reader
Chief Merchandise Officer
Geoff is an experienced retailer with over 30 years’ specialising in merchandise planning and buying, assortment and allocation. As Chief Merchandise Officer he oversees all areas of merchandise for The Good Guys including buying planning and sourcing. He has a strong track record in business transformation and management leadership and has worked with many large retailers in Australia, South Africa, The United States, The Philippines, India and Canada.
Carl Gardini
Chief Information Officer
Carl is an experienced CIO who has managed significant transformational and growth strategies for a range of Australian and international retailers. He has a Master of Information Technology and an honours MB and is recognised for his innovative thinking and ability to deliver cutting-edge IT solutions for evolving and complex business needs that contribute to business growth. Skilled at translating business objectives into technical solutions, Carl specialises in IT strategy and business transformation, risk management, security, IT governance and vendor management.
Lynda Blakely
HR Director
Lynda is an experienced HR Director who joined The Good Guys in 2016 to support the organisation’s transition to a fully corporatised model. With over 15 years’ experience working in retail markets in New Zealand and Australia, Lynda has been responsible for developing and executing strategies within organisations to support rapid growth and transformational change. Lynda’s core strength and experience is in the design of organisational structures, business processes and accountabilities to deliver the capability, agility and customer focus vital to achieving success in highly competitive markets.
Robert Ambler-Frazer
Chief Marketing Officer
Robert is an accomplished senior marketing and advertising executive who is recognised for his thought leadership and innovation. With over 20 years of experience both domestically and internationally, he has a proven record in brand and marketing strategy, media and advertising, digital marketing and eCommerce, strategic partnerships, customer engagement and integrated marketing communications. Robert is driven by using analytics to turn insights into actions and developing creative solutions to business challenges.
Sean Quinnell
Chief Operations Officer
Sean is a seasoned retailer with a wealth of experience in the areas of business and operations management. He has over 30 years’ experience in buying, merchandise planning, logistics and business operations working for some of Australia’s retailers including Target, Country Road, Officeworks and The Good Guys. Sean’s areas of specialty include team engagement, change management, project management and process re-engineering.
Richard Stewart
Chief Legal Counsel
Richard is an experienced legal counsel. With LL.B; LL.M & MBA qualifications he has over 25 years’ experience in commercial, consumer and corporate law. Richard has held senior legal counsel and general management roles, was previously General Counsel and Company Secretary for Daimler Benz Services and also worked at law firm Minter Ellison for several years. Prior to his law career he obtained extensive experience in property management, property development and management consulting.
Cory Hedin
Chief Retail Officer
Cory has over 20 years global retail experience, and is renowned for his thought leadership in strategic development, business transformation and retail execution. Starting his career at Best Buy in the US, Cory was first introduced to The Good Guys as a client partner at The ROIG Group, where he established a sales and operations practice and provided services for some of the largest retailers and suppliers in the world. Cory leads large scale customer engagement transformations focusing on executable, customer-centric operating models, performance management and sustainability and profitable growth opportunities.