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Guest Spotlight with Kirsten Chapman "Underpromise and Over-Deliver"

Writer's picture: Knew HouseKnew House

Updated: Oct 18, 2023


Meet Kirsten Chapman


Kirsten is a Toronto based strategy consultant, retail executive and entrepreneur. Kirsten was on the founding Executive team of Indigo - Canada’s leading retailer of books and lifestyle products. Indigo is now a $1BN chain with more than 95 stores across the country and online at indigo.ca. In addition to her founding role; Kirsten was responsible for the marketing and digital growth of the company from 2016 onward before taking on the role of President and Chief Customer Officer in 2019.

Early in her career Ms. Chapman led marketing services at Cott Beverages launching private label programs for grocers across North America and Europe. Following this, Kirsten co-founded a sports drink company that eventually was purchased by Cadbury Schweppes.

She went on to work with Roots on their Asian franchise business followed by consulting with Jackman. Kirsten is no stranger to the back and forth of corporate and entrepreneurial

positions having moved back and forth throughout her career. Since leaving Indigo in 2021; Kirsten has been on a new journey of self discovery and reflection figuring out what the path ahead offers. She is currently a mentor for female founders working in the fields of sustainability and wellness, and recently joined Women’s Equity Lab. She lives in Hockley Valley a small community north of Toronto with her husband and three children and is an avid yogi and hiker of Canada’s Bruce Trail.



Kirsten, you’re certainly no stranger to the back and forth of corporate and entrepreneurial positions; from leadership positions at Cott Beverages, founding a sports drink company, being a part of the founding executive team at Indigo, and serving as their President and Chief Customer Officer, to now working as a mentor for female founders and with Women’s Equity Lab, what is the number one skill you have acquired during your career that you attribute to your success?

I believe my number one skill is my ability to listen, distill a thesis from what I have heard and build and execute a plan forward. This idea of listening applies to every situation I have been in across both start-ups and corporate life. There are so many examples of the “golden nuggets” you receive when you listen. When I walked stores with the front-line CERs at an Indigo I learned so much about the employee experience; and their pain points which made their jobs difficult and in turn made it hard to serve our customers. These sessions were invaluable in formulating plans for digital products that we would produce to drive employee satisfaction and drive down costs. I am in heaven when I can sit in a focus group with consumers and learn about their pain points because it is the gold that drives your business; it's literally being served to you on a platter! In building services or products that solve pain points, you always have a business opportunity.


What are the most important aspects in creating a high performance team? Do you look for experience, character, etc.?

I believe in hiring people who know the job better than I do; who have a trusting character (because they trust themselves) and who are highly collaborative with the same willingness to be open and to listen. I also can't help but share that I think women are the most amazing leaders across start-ups and in corporations. All four of the SVPs on my team were women; who led a total of 500 people across various departments and P&Ls north of $500M. They juggled families and a gruelling work load but they also supported their teams and ALWAYS underpromised and over-delivered. They had the respect of their teams because of their leadership style.… Today I am so proud to have watched them grow and move to their own next level…. one is the CEO of a large Canadian fashion retailer, one is Chief Digital Officer for Knix, and another is CMO of an airline!


During times of uncertainty, what do you believe is the best way to lead your team?

DON'T SPIN! Lead with calm, certainty and trust. Be THE place of emotional safety. Use data to drive the plan forward not subjectivity. Bring the team into the tent with you, formulate the plan collectively with the data at hand and drive it forward.


Is personal development important in your professional journey? What have you implemented in your life to get to your next level?

YES! Although this was certainly not the case for the bulk of my career. Prior to becoming President; I remember driving to work one day in 2018 and listening to a podcast series with Oprah and Eckhart Tolle. This series was such an aha moment for me; it literally changed my life…. It started me on the path toward finding my authentic self. It's definitely a work in progress….. but I meditate daily, practise yoga, exercise and take long walks in nature. This shows up in my need to serve others. I love “serving my teams” in all of my work; I loved being President and having a team that I could work with and “serve”. Today, I get tremendous satisfaction supporting female entrepreneurs, meeting with women in leadership roles and working with not-for-profits.



 

We'd like to thank Kirsten for sharing her experience and wisdom with the Knew House audience! We are excited to learn more from her at our upcoming retreat, Knew University in Palm Springs, California.


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