Tony Hurd

Background

About Tony Hurd

The CEO of Plumbing Plus with over 30 years in senior management roles across retail, marketing, and sales. I have a proven track record in delivering sustainable growth and have a passion for expanding businesses through strategic positioning, brand development and direct sourcing. I have extensive experience in senior roles within some of Australia’s leading blue-chip, consumer brands. Throughout my career, I’ve been able to simplify and optimise global sourcing strategies for some of Australia’s biggest brands. Before joining Plumbing Plus, I was the Global Brand Manager and Global Sourcing Manager for Bunnings, redefining the end-to-end sourcing process. I was able to reduce costs through supply chain optimisation and via direct sourced southeast Asian factories which optimised the speed to market and resulted in a significantly broader selection of products. My experience in retail and marketing gave me the knowledge to conceptualise a ‘hierarchy of brands’ which incorporated a suite of ‘house brands’ into the Bunnings offering. By positioning 30+ house brands with their own look and feel, I was able to significantly scale upmarket segment growth opportunities which delivered significant sales and margin growth across the international market. My role at Plumbing Plus is the amalgamation of my extensive professional history and my passion and interest in the trade community. As the second-largest plumbing group in the country, we maintain our dominance with our commitment to delivering quality brands at competitive prices and exemplary service. Plumbing Plus boasts 80 members with 320 stores around Australia. We take pride in strengthening our members and fostering their independence.We are a diverse network that must balance consistency, flexibility, and personalisation to enable our independents to have mutually beneficial relationships along the supply chain, with each other, and with our customers. Free from the shackles of corporatisation, Plumbing Plus members have skin in the game, unrivalled expertise, and extensive product knowledge. As CEO, I’m passionate about implementing consistency across our members and leveraging our supply chain capability to continue to deliver value to our members and their customers. I’m proud to have also been a past President and board member of Family Life inc – an innovative 'not for profit community organisation that provides a safety net for ~ families, children and youth in the Southern Metro Region.