Redefiners Podcast Episode Summary

Episode Title: Paws, Purpose & Profit: A Conversation with Pets at Home CEO Lyssa McGowan
Release Date: March 12, 2025
Hosts: Hoda Tehun and Simon Kingston
Guest: Lyssa McGowan, CEO of Pets at Home

Introduction

In this engaging episode of Redefiners, hosts Hoda Tehun and Simon Kingston delve into a profound conversation with Lyssa McGowan, the dynamic CEO of Pets at Home. The discussion navigates through Lyssa's illustrious career journey, her leadership philosophy, and her visionary approach to transforming the UK's leading pet care business into a holistic, omnichannel platform.

Guest Introduction

Simon Kingston introduces Lyssa McGowan, highlighting her extensive background before joining Pets at Home in 2022. Lyssa previously served as Chief Consumer Officer at Sky, leading a consumer business with revenues around $10 billion and over 10 million customers. Her career also includes pivotal roles at McKinsey, Telewest, and a non-executive directorship at Morrisons. Additionally, Simon shares a personal tidbit about Lyssa being a proud mother of three and an enthusiastic pet owner with two Labradors, Freddie and Barney.

Journey to Leadership

Lyssa McGowan recounts her path to becoming CEO, starting with her academic background in geography—a blend of human, physical, arts, science, data, and creativity. This multidisciplinary foundation prepared her for a versatile career in business. She joined McKinsey, followed the consulting-industry-business school pathway, and eventually transitioned to industry roles at Sky. At Sky, Lyssa thrived in a culture of innovation and high performance, leading diverse business segments like broadband and mobile.

Notable Quote:

“I had a bit of a redefine moment as I got just approaching 30, where I realized that in consulting, I was only really bringing half of myself to work.”
(07:06)

Transition to CEO Role

Lyssa discusses the nuances of transitioning to a CEO role, emphasizing that it is a fundamentally different position with distinct responsibilities. Unlike her previous roles, being CEO means making final decisions without a direct boss, interacting with a board and shareholders, and balancing support with necessary challenges within the company culture.

Notable Quote:

“I often talk about the CEO role as not it's not kind of quantitatively different. It's just a completely different role.”
(10:54)

Mentoring Women and Overcoming Barriers

Aligned with the episode's release around International Women's Day, Lyssa shares her involvement with the RRA Artemis program, a mentorship initiative aimed at accelerating women executives towards CEO roles. She highlights the unique challenges women face, such as confidence issues stemming from societal conditioning, and offers strategies to overcome them, including shifting focus from self-doubt to leadership responsibilities and the "fake it till you make it" approach.

Notable Quotes:

“Women frame success as a hundred out of a hundred, right? And if they get to 99 out of 100, they think they failed.”
(14:55)

“If you fake it for long enough, the people respond to you in the way that you're appearing, and therefore, that builds your confidence.”
(18:35)

Transforming Pets at Home

Upon taking the helm, Lyssa faced the challenge of steering Pets at Home through post-pandemic market shifts and a looming cost of living crisis. She strategically balanced maintaining the company's strong, pet-centric culture while integrating new capabilities in technology, consumer insight, data, and digital platforms to foster an omnichannel pet care experience.

Vision:

"To become the world's best pet care platform—a seamless blend of in-store expertise and comprehensive digital services."
(29:25)

Key Strategies:

• Omnichannel Integration: Combining physical stores with digital experiences like telemedicine and e-pharmacy.
• Consumer Centricity: Leveraging extensive pet data to offer personalized advice and services.
• Sustainability: Implementing initiatives across people, pets, and the planet, including carbon net-zero goals and sustainable pet nutrition.

Sustainability and Community Engagement

Lyssa outlines Pets at Home's sustainability pillars: People, Pets, and Planet. She emphasizes employee development, animal welfare, and environmental initiatives such as low-flow anesthesia for vets and promoting dry food for pets to reduce carbon footprints. Additionally, the company supports over 800 rescue charities and launched pet food assistance programs during the cost of living crisis.

Notable Quote:

“If you want a sustainable business, we need to work across all three of those—people, pets, and planet.”
(35:19)

Leadership and Board Relations

Lyssa highlights the importance of a supportive and challenging board relationship. She advises new CEOs to maintain openness to feedback, engage proactively with board members, and foster a non-defensive posture to leverage board expertise effectively.

Notable Quote:

“The right board have a good mix of challenge and support.”
(42:03)

Consumer Insights and Innovation

Discussing consumer behavior, Lyssa emphasizes that while consumer insights are crucial, they must be paired with forward-thinking innovation. Drawing from her experience at Sky, she underscores the need to anticipate consumer needs rather than solely relying on their current feedback.

Notable Quote:

“Consumers can tell you what they like and what they don't like, but they can't really imagine a future that you're imagining.”
(33:12)

Rapid Fire Questions

To conclude the episode, Lyssa participates in a rapid-fire segment, revealing personal preferences and insights:

• Dog Breed Personality Match: Labrador and Border Collie mix
• Favorite Dish to Cook: Thai Green Curry
• Favorite Exercise: Scuba Diving and Yoga
• Best Advice Received: “People won't remember what you said or what you did, but they'll never forget how you made them feel.” — Maya Angelou
• One Thing to Learn Sooner: Carrying the weight of the office lightly
• Important Skill: Sleeping

Bonus Question:

Simon Kingston: How do I persuade my daughter that she doesn't really want a Syrian hamster?
Lyssa McGowan: Send us to Pets at Home, and I'll give her some top tips.
(45:53)

Conclusion and Key Takeaways

Lyssa McGowan's leadership at Pets at Home exemplifies a harmonious blend of purpose-driven strategies and innovative growth. Her emphasis on maintaining a strong company culture while embracing technological advancements positions Pets at Home as a leader in the pet care industry. Key takeaways from the episode include:

• Balanced Leadership: Combining support with necessary challenges to foster a high-performance culture.
• Consumer-Driven Innovation: Anticipating and shaping consumer needs through data and forward-thinking strategies.
• Sustainability: Integrating sustainable practices across all facets of the business to create long-term value.
• Empowering Women Leaders: Addressing confidence barriers and mentoring to accelerate women into CEO roles.

Lyssa's insights provide a valuable roadmap for aspiring leaders aiming to create impactful and resilient organizations in rapidly evolving markets.

Notable Moments:

• Paws on the Ground: Lyssa describes Pets at Home's "Bring Your Dog to Work Day" as an everyday practice, reflecting the company's pet-centric culture. (05:15)
• Cultural Tightrope: Balancing the supportive, pet-focused culture with the need for innovation and technological integration. (22:11)

This episode of Redefiners not only highlights Lyssa McGowan's strategic leadership but also underscores the importance of purpose, sustainability, and inclusive mentorship in redefining organizational success in today's world.