1:55 min read
Meet Stephen Ward, our Heritage Centre manager and curator, who celebrates 51 remarkable years with Woolworths Group.
Stephen started his Woolworths tenure at 15 as a casual sales assistant at the Caringbah Variety Store in New South Wales on December 13, 1973. More than five decades later, he is still filled with the same sense of passion and pride when he puts on his name badge.
Stephen joined Woolworths in 1973
“Woolworths is my home away from home,” says Stephen. “It's a place where my friends and colleagues are. It's a place where we genuinely try to do our best for our team, our customers and our stakeholders every single day.”
A highlight of Stephen’s career was being appointed store manager of the Bowral Variety Store at the age of 21, relocating his young family from Sydney to the NSW regional town in the Southern Highlands to take up the post.
His passion and dedication was rewarded with multiple store manager appointments across the state, before he completed his Masters of Commerce and moved into senior leadership roles in many areas of the business.
Even retirement in 2018 couldn’t keep Stephen away. He now manages the Heritage Centre, which houses a meticulously-curated tapestry of Woolworths’ rich history from the past 100 years.
As Woolworths approaches a centennial milestone, Stephen says he is most proud of Woolworths Group’s long-standing partnerships and genuine, wide-reaching contributions to Australian communities over the past 100 years.
“We've probably created in excess of five million jobs,” he says. “We created jobs right through the Great Depression and actively supported Australia’s war effort during WWII.
“When we've had floods, bushfires, cyclones, we are there. We’ve provided careers, traineeships, apprenticeships and employment opportunities … and that's why we have 16,000 current and former Team Members in our 25-Year Club.
“I am proud to have been able to coach, mentor and provide development opportunities for people at a personal and professional level in our business. It has been a privilege seeing them grow and flourish in their careers.”
We are so lucky to have you, Stephen!
