Talking Business With Alan Kohler

Richard is a Chartered Accountant with over 20 years’ experience in retail and finance. He joined JB Hi-Fi as CFO in 2003 and took the business through the IPO process. Prior to this Richard was an Associate Director, in the Corporate Finance Group of Deloitte. Richard was appointed to the Board of JB Hi-Fi in June 2012 and became CEO on 1 July 2014. He is currently Chairman of the Australian Charities Fund Employee Leadership Initiative, which aims to encourage Australian businesses to set up Workplace Giving Programs. To date JB Hi-Fi’s workplace giving program, Helping Hands, has 70% staff participation and has raised over $10m for its charity partners. He discusses JB’s involvement in the ‘Workplace Giving Initiative’ and seeks to encourage other businesses to be a part of the movement. He gives an overview of the JB group business and the culture & retail strategy that are keys to the success that has seen JB Hi-Fi out-perform current trends in the retail sector.