{"id":12987,"date":"2024-07-20T16:03:30","date_gmt":"2024-07-20T16:03:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dmsretail.com\/RetailNews\/rachel-huckle-ceo-of-staples-canada\/"},"modified":"2024-07-20T16:03:30","modified_gmt":"2024-07-20T16:03:30","slug":"rachel-huckle-ceo-of-staples-canada","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dmsretail.com\/RetailNews\/rachel-huckle-ceo-of-staples-canada\/","title":{"rendered":"Rachel Huckle, CEO of Staples Canada"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Today, Rachel Huckle is one of the leading retail executives in the country as CEO of Staples Canada.<\/p>\n

But her professional journey didn\u2019t initially begin in the business world.<\/p>\n

Huckle was born and raised in Toronto. She went originally to school for nursing.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThat 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,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cOver 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\u2019s (University) at the Smith School of Business.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Image: Rachel Huckle<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Huckle said timing played a large role in her decision to go from nursing into the business world.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy mom is a nurse and she\u2019s 82 years old and she\u2019s still working in downtown Toronto at St. Michael\u2019s Hospital. She loves it. It\u2019s her purpose. She works in hemodialysis, renal transplant area. And she does infusions for them and she does some administrative research stuff for them,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s a dynamite. Feisty. Four foot 11. I think that\u2019s where my first foray came from. I was inspired by seeing what she did. I think in my heart of hearts I\u2019m a nurturer by nature and she is as well. So I went down that path.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd then I was walking by a Shoppers Drug Mart and they had an opening for a pharmacy technician. I thought well let\u2019s see. I had the medication background from nursing. So that\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Image: Rachel Huckle<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Earlier this year, Huckle was appointed CEO of Staples to oversee the brand\u2019s roughly 300 stores, its digital and services business, and Staples Professional, Canada\u2019s leading B2B business.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Prior to that, Huckle was the company\u2019s Chief Retail Officer and President and Chief Operating Officer.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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Image: Rachel Huckle<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

She describes herself as an impartial, objective and future-focused leader with an innovative and consultative approach to problem solving.<\/p>\n

What did she like about the business world to make the transition from nursing?<\/p>\n

\u201cI 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,\u201d explained Huckle. \u201cI didn\u2019t 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\u2019t feel like I had impact or didn\u2019t care.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd 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\u2019s bringing them joy or what\u2019s working and what can we do better. Try to make sure they feel seen and heard. I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Image: Rachel Huckle<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Huckle said so much of the retail sector appeals to her.<\/p>\n

\u201cRetail\u2019s 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\u2019s some longer tent poles, but by and large you can see impact almost immediately,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I will tell you, on the Staples\u2019 front what\u2019s great is we\u2019re 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\u2019s pretty cool.\u201d<\/p>\n

In her time outside of work, Huckle said she loves to spend time with her Peloton, trying to keep as fit as she can.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have four dogs and they\u2019re all little guys but they are good for the soul and they\u2019re 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\u2019m a little shy. I have a beautiful son. He is turning 30 years old this year and he just got engaged so he\u2019s excited and planning all his big future plans.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve got family and travel from time to time and I like to read.\u201d<\/p>\n