22 January 2014: Global recruitment firm Michael Page has announced Mark Bilton, Group Managing Director of Gloria Jean’s Coffees, the winner of the 2014 Michael Page Retail Executive Award. Mr. Bilton receives the distinction, along with an exclusive place on the 2014 Westfield World Retail Study Tour, where he will spend two weeks immersed in five world-class retail destinations: San Francisco, Seattle, Stockholm, London and Barcelona.Richard Wynn, Regional Director of Michael Page in Australia, said; “We were very impressed with the calibre of applicants we received, and we are thrilled to announce Mark Bilton as the winner of the Michael Page Retail Executive Award for 2014. Mr. Bilton’s entry stood out most for his ability to design and implement a business strategy that added significant value for all stakeholders, through a leadership style that is genuine, inclusive and engaging.”Over the past 12 months, Mr. Bilton has been instrumental in developing the strategy behind increasing sales, profit and customer satisfaction across 400 franchises. Mr. Bilton introduced a three year strategy with a clear vision and milestones that lead to a sense of collective responsibility, individual empowerment among franchises and a change in company culture. Mr. Bilton commented that the Westfield World Retail Study Tour will further inspire and influence his work within the retail industry.“I look forward to meeting with sector experts and industry leaders, while travelling to great cities and experiencing cutting edge retail. This trip will also be a fantastic opportunity for me to be exposed to the latest trends and influence my thinking – inspiration is borne from experience," said Mr. Bilton.Mr. Bilton has developed his career in the retail industry with Managing Director and CEO roles at multinational companies in both the listed and private sector. Mr. Bilton has an MBA and a Post Graduate Diploma in Business and has held numerous directorships on industry, education, not-for-profit and commercial boards.On being named the winner of the 2014 Michael Page Retail Executive Award, Mr. Bilton said; “I am genuinely surprised and delighted on winning the award. I am honoured by the accolade; being recognised is always a great honour.”The four runners up in the 2014 Michael Page Retail Executive Award were Tim Schaafsma, Managing Director of Freedom, Mark Daynes, CEO of Jeanswest, Tony Sutton, Executive General Manager Stores of Myer and Stephen Heath, CEO of Fantastic Holdings.
