Following a mammoth 17-year career at Ampol, Skye Jackson鈥檚 desire for change led her to a聽part-time Master of Business Administration聽(MBA) and a new role at a leading competitor. Now, with her sights set on driving the transformation of convenience stores throughout Australia, she鈥檚 revolutionising how we fuel more than just our cars.
As the Area Lead for Growth and Change at 7-Eleven, Skye manages teams across network planning, construction and design. 鈥淚t鈥檚 all about new stores, upgrading stores and reinvesting in stores,鈥 she explains. 鈥淭he capital budget I have within my space this year 鈥 is a multi-million dollar investment.鈥澛
Part of her role also involves signing-off on new locations, particularly in regional Australia, which has presented an array of opportunities and challenges for her and her team. 鈥淲e鈥檙e the only ones in the industry who do fresh, delivered daily 鈥 everyone else in the market usually gets deliveries three times a week,鈥 she explains. 鈥淏ut because of our commitment to providing a quality offer to the customer, it鈥檚 more complex to move into some regional markets.鈥 This includes places like North Queensland.聽
鈥淚鈥檝e been working with the supply change team to find ways to stock these types of locations,鈥 she says. 鈥淲e want to make this work and deliver fresh food daily to our customers 鈥 it鈥檚 been a real challenge, but it鈥檚 been a good one.鈥
Developing future icons
With a portfolio echoing that of a Chief Development Officer, Skye is a part of 7-Eleven鈥檚 big ambitions for the future. 鈥淲e want to grow our store count to approximately 1,000 by 2030, and really focus on our non-fuel format,鈥 she explains. 鈥淚n Japan, 7-Eleven is iconic so we鈥檙e evolving our offer to be more like those locations.鈥 With 750 stores in the network, this is no mean feat. Having previously been deeply involved in transforming the convenience offer within Ampol, Skye feels confident about the road ahead. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really where my passion lies.鈥
Back to class
With a strong desire to extend her network and acquire new skills, Skye knew completing a MBA聽would be the change and challenge she needed. 鈥淪ometimes, when you鈥檙e doing undergrad, it can feel a bit like a tick and flick exercise,鈥 she says. 鈥淗aving been at Ampol for so long 鈥 I really wanted to do an MBA to increase my knowledge and support my career growth, but to also meet people in other industries and organisations.鈥
I really wanted to do an MBA to increase my knowledge and support my career growth, but to also meet people in other industries and organisations.
Skye Jackson
Master of Business Administration (2015) graduate
Studying part-time while working full-time, Skye completed her MBA in six years 鈥 making a point not to overload herself during busy or high-demand periods at work. 鈥淔or the final capstone, I was really deliberate about finding a time at work where I could invest the hours and energy I knew it would take,鈥 she says.聽
For Skye, the biggest benefits of her study, however, came from learning how to step out of problems and complex situations 鈥 and consider these from a consultant mindset. 鈥淚t was all about learning not to have that emotion in there,鈥 she says. 鈥淭he capstone taught us to think like an outsider 鈥 how would I be approaching this issue if I wasn鈥檛 so invested?鈥澛
Embracing a long view to the future
At the core of Skye鈥檚 career lies an ongoing desire to constantly evolve and meet the changing needs of her customers. 鈥淚 love problem solving and picking apart the way we do things,鈥 she says. 鈥淲hat I enjoy the most though is discovering better processes and changing the way we do things to deliver results.鈥
Thankfully, her latest role at 7-Eleven allows her to look ahead and plan with consideration. 鈥淚t鈥檚 great when you鈥檙e in a business that plays the long-game and has a strategy that鈥檚 strongly aligned to a clear long term ambition.鈥