Brett Ashley is a former executive with Woolworths NZ Ltd, who chalked up more than 47 years in the retail industry in both New Zealand and Australia. A butcher by trade, Brett started his meat apprenticeship with Foodtown Supermarkets. He owned and operated a private meat business for five years in the late 1980s, before re-joining the corporate retailer and working there for another 27 years. Brett made a very successful career working in the grocery industry, completing over 42 years in total within the Woolworths NZ Ltd. group, with the last 18 years as part of the senior executive team in general manager roles. He survived and conducted countless management restructures, including navigating and orientating over 15 different managing directors, before retiring in October 2020. His life story is a gripping tale of a cheeky little boy who grew up in a dysfunctional family from South Auckland, New Zealand. A boy who overcame adversity to understand that the greatest asset we have is the power of our minds. ‘What we truly believe, we can truly achieve.’ His dynamic leadership journey led to an epiphany: that we can create an environment where people can be at their best every day.