The best thing I ever did for my career was stop trying to be someone else's version of a CEO.
Paul Zahra is one of Australia's most respected retail leaders and industry advocates, with a career spanning 40 years across some of the country's most iconic brands.
Paul rose through the ranks of Australian retail from the shop floor of Target, through senior leadership roles at Officeworks, to CEO and Managing Director of David Jones. Taking the helm in 2010 in the wake of the Global Financial Crisis, Paul led David Jones through a "perfect storm" of plummeting sales, outdated technology and a rapidly changing digital landscape. He transformed the 200-year-old department store into a contemporary omni-channel retailer — introducing personal shopping, click and collect and new store formats — culminating in its sale to Woolworths at a premium in 2014.
In April 2020, as COVID-19 upended the retail sector, Paul was appointed CEO of the Australian Retailers Association (ARA), Australia's largest and oldest retail industry body. Over the next five years, he led the industry through its most disrupted period in history — navigating the pandemic, a cost-of-living crisis, labour shortages, an unprecedented retail crime wave, and the biggest industrial relations reform in decades. Under his leadership, the ARA delivered record financial performance, secured major wins for retailers in Canberra and the states, and drove the historic amalgamation with the National Retail Association — creating the largest and most powerful retail body in Australian history.
A passionate advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion, Paul was Australia's first openly gay CEO of a major public company and has chaired the PwC Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Board. He is widely regarded as one of Australia's most influential voices on building inclusive, high-performing workplace cultures.
Today, Paul is a sought-after Non-Executive Director, Chair, mentor and advisor, drawing on his experience at the coalface of two of the biggest disruptions in Australian retail history. He speaks with candour and authority on retail transformation, industry advocacy, diversity and inclusion, resilience, and building a personal brand that endures across an entire career.
Audiences leave Paul's presentations with practical, hard-won insight from a leader who has steered organisations — and an entire industry — through genuine crisis, and come out stronger on the other side.
Talking Points
Resilience
Paul has been knocked down by two of the toughest storms in Australian retail history — the GFC and a global pandemic — and got back up stronger both times. He also knows when resilience means pushing through, and when it means having the self-awareness to step back and protect your wellbeing. A candid, human take on what it really takes to keep going when things fall apart, and why true resilience isn't about never breaking — it's about how you rebuild.
Resilience
Advocacy & Industry Building
Paul spent five years as the public face and political muscle behind an entire industry, fighting for the small business owners and 1.4 million Australians who work in retail. He'll share what it really takes to unite fractured groups, win in Canberra, and speak truth to power — with heart.
Advocacy & Industry Building
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
As Australia's first openly gay CEO of a major public company, Paul has lived the DEI conversation, not just championed it from a boardroom. He brings a rare authenticity to this topic — proof that inclusion isn't a policy, it's a leadership choice made every day.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Personal Brand
Paul has reinvented himself again and again — from shop floor to CEO, to industry statesman, to advisor and mentor. He shares the honest, practical playbook for building a reputation that opens doors, and staying true to yourself while you do it.
Personal Brand
Retail Sector Insights
Nobody reads the pulse of Australian retail — and Australian shoppers — quite like Paul. Straight-talking, current, and always a step ahead of the headlines.
Retail Sector Insights
I had the pleasure of working with Paul Zahra on a diversity and inclusion panel and also listening to his keynote speech at a recent NORA and Salesforce event. Paul creates the perfect atm ... keep reading Dominique Lamb, CEO of National Retail Association
NORA and Salesforce partnered recently to run a prominent Diversity and Inclusion event with senior leadership in the Australian retail ecosystem. Paul Zahra was our keynote and also moderated the expert panel. Paul is not only one of Australia's leading retailers, he is also a prominent advocate and role model for D and I. His presentation was a standout, authentic and eloquent. His moderation of the panel was masterfully handled, navigating some sensitive and often misunderstood principles and facts. I unreservedly recommend Paul Zahra as a keynote.
Having run conferences over many years, I have dealt with literally hundreds of keynote speakers. Paul was one of the rare ones. He took the time to be both immaculately prepared and prepared to talk off the cuff as the conversation flowed. His raw and honest reflections on his own experiences at David Jones and since made the session on the future of duty free invaluable for our delegates. The feedback received was that Paul’s session was one of the best we’ve ever had in terms of challenging the status quo and having a realistic conversation of what the future might look like for duty free at airports. His advice was spot on – follow the consumer as their behaviour changes over time, not just do what you’ve always done. I’d have him back in a heartbeat. And to top it all off, lovely and charming guy – who even stayed for our Gala Dinner. Nothing was too much trouble.
Paul brought the perfect mix of realness, humour, and practical insight to our Abundium WIM Summit fireside chat. He didn't just talk about inclusive leadership, he gave our audience something to act on immediately, and his call for everyone to sponsor someone different from themselves has stuck with attendees long after the event. A genuinely engaging speaker who leaves people with more than just inspiration.
