Terry Leahy Keynote Speaker

As a former CEO of Tesco (1997‐2011), Sir Terry Leahy is one of the most admired business leaders in the world.

Knighted in 2002 for his services to food retailing, he is well known for successfully turning around Tesco to become the largest chain in Britain, transforming the country’s supermarket industry and disrupting the businesses of its competitors. Experts credit Terry’s success to his hands-on style and deep understanding of changing markets. As an early testament to his creative leadership and marketing talent, he successfully devised and implemented the Tesco Club Card loyalty programme – leading to his appointments to the Board of Tesco PLC as Marketing Director in 1992, and as Deputy Managing Director in February 1995.

Terry places trust in experience and low-key leadership and is one of those unique examples of great, successful executives who have worked their way up from the bottom of the organisation. He stresses that effective leadership does matter in the success of an organisation and believes that a truly effective leader is defined by what they influence others to achieve. He explains (and exemplifies) that a good leader takes individuals further than they would go on their own, and he directs managers to pass this idea along to their own employees, encouraging them to become leaders too.

Terry’s book, “Management in Ten Words,” was published by Random House in 2012. Here, he draws on his years of experience and expertise to pinpoint the ten vital attributes that make successful managers and underlie great organisations.