Blooms The Chemist’s former chief executive officer (CEO), Phil Smith, has been named the 2021 ‘Kind CEO of the Year’ at the inaugural Australian Corporate Kindness Conference and Awards run by Bambuddha Group, a social enterprise that advocates for the importance of kindness in leadership to build better businesses and cultivate better work environments.
Blooms The Chemist’s Pamela Bishop, recently promoted into the role of chief operating officer (COO), was named ‘Game Changer of the Year’, recognising a leader who exhibits authenticity and kindness in actions, intention, and influence.
Bambuddha Group’s CEO, Anna Sheppard, says the corporate kindness curriculum defines kindness in leadership as the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate.
“It’s about taking intentional positive action to create improved, sustainable and inclusive outcomes for all stakeholders,” she says. “Not only when it’s easy to be kind, but also when it’s hard to be.
“As the world battles floods, COVID-19, displacement and disconnection, the relentless assault on our mental wellbeing is causing not only pain, but disruption to all aspects of our lives.
“As leaders, it’s never been more important to infuse kindness and empathy as a mandatory value in how we turn up for our employees, stakeholders and the planet,” she says.
Bloom The Chemist COO, Pamela Bishop
Blooms The Chemist COO, Pamela Bishop, is delighted with the recognition and says kindness is core to the brand’s values and purpose.
“Blooms The Chemist supports equitable access to good health and this sits at the heart of our brand purpose. Our entire business, which comprises over 110 pharmacies across Australia and employs more than 2,000 people, is dedicated to putting people first and having meaningful impact in our local communities,” she says.
“The kindness traits of being friendly, generous and considerate starts within our business and extends to how we engage with our customers and serve the local community.”
Dedicated to nurturing leaders who are passionate about making positive social impact, Bambuddha Group advocates for the importance of spreading kindness to build better businesses and cultivate better work environments, as well as being kind to the planet in line with the UN’s sustainability goals.
Former Blooms The Chemist CEO, Phil Smith, says the award is testament to the entire team.
“Since our inception, Blooms The Chemist has been putting people first, to have meaningful impact and to make a real difference,” he says. “In my tenure as CEO, it was important to lead in the same way we wanted all of our team members to lead.
“By putting people first in all our actions, only then can we create a business environment that can truly make a real and lasting difference. On behalf of everyone at Blooms The Chemist, we couldn’t be more proud of this well-deserved acknowledgement by the Bambuddha Group,” he said.
