ABSTRACT
This chapters shares the story of a learning leader who found the transition from nuts and crisps to buying ethnic foods for her global supermarket chain did not go smoothly. Suppliers refused to speak to her, preferring instead a less experienced male executive. Negotiations and multi-million-pound deals had stalled. Yet this leader held the power or thought she did. The story of Antonia covers themes of humility, resilience, multi-ethnic teams, cultural, national and geopolitical identity. We learn what customers want and what they respond to. Ideas include authenticity, personal narrative, immigration, religious and cultural sensitivity. This chapter delves into the team dynamics and their wider systemic contribution to the business at a time when some areas of the retail sector struggle to retain profits.
From Ramadan to Diwali, from Jewish New Year to Nowruz, from the Caribbean to Africa, the Middle East to Pakistan, India, China and Indonesia, the story of food furnishes us with an understanding of what people from different parts of the globe like to eat, and what these foods represent to them.
