Top executives across Australia would do well to note how Rod Sims handled a phone call from Capital Brief this morning. We asked him what he thought about Woolworths CEO Brad Banducci’s decision to resign just days after a disastrous performance on the ABC's Four Corners program.
Banducci, amid tense questioning from reporter Angus Grigg about a lack of competition in grocery retailing, made the curious decision to deviate from his talking points. Instead of continuing to explain why he thinks ColesWorth operates in a vibrantly competitive market, he instead appeared to take a swing at Sims’ credibility. He pointed out that the former ACCC chair, who has raised many concerns about market concentration in supermarkets, is “retired”.
Banducci quickly admitted he’d made a mistake, asked for his comment to be taken out of the episode, then walked out of the interview when Grigg refused to commit to that. (Banducci later told The Australian that he'd called Sims to apologise.)
It’s hard to know what Sims personally thinks about this particular performance. Because when we called, he declined to comment and with good humour wished us the best. Sims is obviously well-versed in managing the media and ignoring big businesses who don’t like what he has to say.
