Kerri’s early leadership
At just 21, Kerri took on her first national role in training and HR at Domino’s – a position she set her sights on and chased down. “I had strong female role models and so I grew up being pretty determined.” Putting herself out there paid off and soon she relocated to India, working her way up in the organisation to run the market there as Chief Operating Officer.
“That period of living and working overseas gave me pivotal, foundational experience. We took the business, we grew it, and grew it quite quickly. That didn't go well, so then we had to consolidate it, turn it around, grow it again,” says Kerri on her time spent working in India. “I gained experience with a different market and learnt how to manage the different phases in business and respond to them from a leadership perspective.”
When describing her journey and how she started out, she says, “I always put my hand up and said ‘yes’. I created a lot of the pathways and opportunities myself, particularly early on. It was purely out of passion and wanting to show initiative, and so I threw myself in the wind.”
Balancing self-conviction with a learner’s mindset
Achieving a CEO title wasn’t always the goal, but Kerri sought opportunities to “learn, grow and contribute to transformation”, which guided her along the way when deciding next steps in her career. Finding ways to stretch the boundaries of her comfort zone continues to be paramount for Kerri, seeing it as the ultimate way to gain professional and personal development.
“A lot of people think their career's going to be linear. For me, it hasn't been like that. It's been quite eclectic, and I’ve been willing to grab opportunities in the front and centre and solve meaty business problems. And I think that's something that's really added to my toolkit for today.”
Embracing a non-linear trajectory has allowed Kerri to continue to build her acumen. “I’ve taken sideway steps, one for example, where I really developed my capability in retail. I thought, look I’ll just jump in the deep end and give it a go.” Kerri believes there’s an important balance to strike – having the confidence to lean on existing, transferrable skills, paired with a perpetual learner’s mindset.
When Kerri returned to Australia, she took a step off the corporate ladder completely and started her own business. While honing existing know-how, she also gained an entirely new view, adding to her kit today. “I was also a franchisee. It’s something that allows me to connect with franchise partners in my current role and say, look, I'll put my house on the line, I know where you're coming from. I’ve been in their shoes.”
Creating a people-centred culture
In Kerri’s leadership, making sure franchise partners feel supported, happy and engaged is a priority. “I’m really proud of our approach on positive franchising and our franchise partner-led focus,” Kerri says, on San Churro’s people-centred values. “It culturally underpins our business and makes us different to a lot of other franchisors out there in the market.”
“We run very high engagement numbers at San Churro and we'll continue to do that and give people the ability to buy in. But equally that needs to be balanced with high performance and a high-performance culture.” Striking a balance of push and pull, as Kerri has experienced across various high-growth businesses, is vital for long-term success.
Within the organisation, Kerri is committed to giving her people real, immediate opportunities for development inside of the business. “I had 100 coffees in 100 days,” she says, on first getting to know the San Churro team. “I listened deeply. I hope that while I’m part of the business, I can help develop five CEOs and to have lots of leaders going and succeed. That’s really, really important to me,” says Kerri.
How Kerri uses her platform
This year alone, Kerri has received several industry accolades, like winning Franchise Council of Australia’s Franchise 2024 Woman of the Year (VIC), and achieving second place at the Inside Franchise Business 2024 Top 30 Franchise Business Executives. When asked how this kind of recognition impacts her leadership, Kerri says, “I didn’t achieve it alone. Really, I'm standing on the shoulders of our amazing franchise partners and team members who've had an exceptional couple of years.”
Above all, she’s grateful to have a platform to support emerging leaders. “I’m passionate about helping people, especially when it comes to helping people break through barriers,” Kerri says. “In my early career, I faced a lot [of barriers] because of gender, culture or even personal circumstances.”
“Initially I used to be quite shy about sharing my story, but I've come to realise that it can create a space to connect with others and show my version of what’s possible. My relationship to opening up on a personal level has changed over the last of couple of years with that perspective.”
On embracing vulnerability as a leader, Kerri says, “you have to be authentic,” and overall, she’s been pleasantly surprised by the flow-on of openly sharing her honest experiences. “I’ve had people approach me and say ‘that really inspired me’ or ask how I managed certain things. And I think that’s of power of it, isn’t it?”
Looking at what’s ahead
Kerri is set on leaving a positive mark at San Churro and with the broader franchising community. And it seems she already is through mentoring, open conversations, a holistic strategy and motivating her team to achieve impressive results.
She believes there’s plenty of opportunity for up-and-coming leaders in the franchising world, especially for women.
“The opportunity is absolutely there, the future is very bright and there's already some really great examples of female leadership in franchising. It's a way of doing business where many industries are represented, from trades to hospitality to care. It’s a diverse community and there’s certainly room for greater female representation.”
For now, Kerri’s laser focus remains on San Churro’s bold strategy for growth and bringing those plans to fruition. Throughout her career, Kerri has been brave and backed herself with absolute conviction and she encourages emerging leaders to do the same. “Just give it a go and gain diverse experience where you can,” she says, and this fundamental advice underpins Kerri’s success to date.
