Today, Rachel Huckle is one of the leading retail executives in the country as CEO of Staples Canada.
But her professional journey didn’t initially begin in the business world.
Huckle was born and raised in Toronto. She went originally to school for nursing.
“That is what I did originally and then I moved on and started at Shoppers Drug Mart and became a pharmacy technician and from there I spent almost 25 years between Shoppers Drug Mart and Loblaw,” she said.
“Over that time I went back to university and got an MBA at Rotman School of Management (University of Toronto) and then a few years later I got a Master of Finance at Queen’s (University) at the Smith School of Business.”
Huckle said timing played a large role in her decision to go from nursing into the business world.
“My mom is a nurse and she’s 82 years old and she’s still working in downtown Toronto at St. Michael’s Hospital. She loves it. It’s her purpose. She works in hemodialysis, renal transplant area. And she does infusions for them and she does some administrative research stuff for them,” she said.
“She’s a dynamite. Feisty. Four foot 11. I think that’s where my first foray came from. I was inspired by seeing what she did. I think in my heart of hearts I’m a nurturer by nature and she is as well. So I went down that path.
“And then I was walking by a Shoppers Drug Mart and they had an opening for a pharmacy technician. I thought well let’s see. I had the medication background from nursing. So that’s where it started. I got the job and never looked back. Loved it. Did so many great things and learned so much going through that company.”
Earlier this year, Huckle was appointed CEO of Staples to oversee the brand’s roughly 300 stores, its digital and services business, and Staples Professional, Canada’s leading B2B business.
Prior to that, Huckle was the company’s Chief Retail Officer and President and Chief Operating Officer.
She has played a pivotal role in its transformation to The Working and Learning Company. Under her guidance, Staples has expanded its products and services to provide more value and selection for consumers, grown its business-to-businesses offerings serving Canadian businesses of all sizes, and forged important strategic partnerships that have significantly enhanced the business.
She came to Staples in 2019 after being Senior Vice President of Merchandising for Loblaw Companies. Prior to that, she had been Senior Vice President, Health and Wellness, for Shoppers.
Huckle blends astute business acumen with accounting and store-level experience to drive dynamic strategies for business growth and bottom line profitability. She expertly wields comprehensive understanding of overall corporate strategy to execute corporate action plans at all levels.
She is recognized for authentic leadership, strong communication, and interpersonal talents, which are leveraged to cultivate a high performing culture, centered on core values, and collaborative working relationships with associate store owners, front line managers, colleagues, direct reports, and senior executives.
She describes herself as an impartial, objective and future-focused leader with an innovative and consultative approach to problem solving.
What did she like about the business world to make the transition from nursing?
“I think it came down to the leadership aspect. I think early days when I was a pharmacy technician I saw a lot of leaders come and go,” explained Huckle. “I didn’t always understand or appreciate their impact. And I realized at that time one of the things I wanted to do was to have impact so that any other person in the store who was in my shoes previously didn’t feel like I had impact or didn’t care.
“And so it actually influenced how I lead because when I go to stores I make the time to go and talk to as many people as I can. I make the time to ask them what’s bringing them joy or what’s working and what can we do better. Try to make sure they feel seen and heard. I don’t know if it’s perception or reality but at the time I may not have felt like I was seen or heard. So I think that inspired me to want to pursue the more business aspect and leadership side of things.
“And then I realized that maybe I could do it well if I was given the chance and started to get in there and loved it. Loved the variety of things I got to do from early days of asset protection, inventory management and accounting to leading programs to bring Optimum and PC Plus together to create PC Optimum to building digital apps to launching new store concepts and working with different firms to learn about customer centric thinking. Loved it and realized you can be bold and do some incredible things to have impact in the business and people.”
Huckle said so much of the retail sector appeals to her.
“Retail’s a great career. If you like fast-paced, if you love to see impact immediately, sometimes you do things in work and careers and it could take months, years to unfold, here you can all see with immediacy, there’s some longer tent poles, but by and large you can see impact almost immediately,” she said.
“And I will tell you, on the Staples’ front what’s great is we’re not just retail. We have a massive wholesale B2B business. We have a massive sales force. We have an online channel. We have a store channel. We have four digital platforms . . . The robustness of what you can get out of retail from strategy to financial acumen to leadership to innovation, it’s pretty cool.”
In her time outside of work, Huckle said she loves to spend time with her Peloton, trying to keep as fit as she can.
“I have four dogs and they’re all little guys but they are good for the soul and they’re very sweet animals. They give me a lot of joy. I like to take them out. I try to get in at least 10,000 steps a day. Sometimes I hit that number, sometimes I’m a little shy. I have a beautiful son. He is turning 30 years old this year and he just got engaged so he’s excited and planning all his big future plans.
“I’ve got family and travel from time to time and I like to read.”
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