Our CEO , Anna Pitches, turns 50 this month and, in flagrant disregard of her desire to keep the news on the down low, we think this is a milestone worth shouting about!
Anna started working for Commonsense from the early days as she was school mates with Jim and Marion's daughter, Lucy, and they both worked with us after school and on weekends. She continued working part-time throughout University before taking off overseas to see the world.
On her return a few years later Jim and Marion were about to open their second store in Lower Hutt and asked Anna to manage it. The timing was perfect and she hasn't looked back, moving up the ranks to manage the Wellington store, then Operations Manager and in 2016 she was appointed to her current role as CEO.
We asked Anna what has made her stay so long with the Company:
Working in a business like Commonsense is so dynamic – no 2 days are the same! You never get bored that’s for sure. I think I’ve done every role in the company at one point or another. I learnt management skills as a store manager in my 20’s and this was an invaluable experience. Commonsense works on a basis of trust and transparency and running a store is like running your own business so was very interesting and challenging in those early management days.
But mostly, it comes down to the people and the culture of the organisation. We are all working towards the same goal – providing good food that tastes amazing, and is grown in a way that works with nature and not against it.
In my current role I get the best of both worlds – the desk job, looking after the business from our head office with my wonderful colleagues and leadership team, as well as often working in the stores getting to chat to our wonderful customers and work alongside the staff.
It’s been incredible watching the company grow from staff of 20 to 120 – and the mainstreaming of organics and sustainable agriculture too. Growing food in a sustainable or regenerative way that will allow us to continue feeding the world for generations to come just makes sense!