Passing the Torch

CSN: Alex, when you joined Couche-Tard back in 2012 as director of fuels, real estate and facilities, did you have aspirations of advancing in the company and did you ever think you’d end up in the CEO seat? 

Miller: No, it was not on my mind. I was excited to experience something different in a new culture. I love our culture, I love what I’ve learned, and this is where I want to finish. So, the answer is no, but I’m really happy and we’ve grown so much — the company is so different in the 12-13 years I’ve been here — and that created some opportunities for me to do different things. I’m just really grateful for that.

CSN: Alex, can you talk a little about your career path and how you believe it’s prepared you for this moment. 

Miller: Yeah, I’ve been in and around our industry for almost 30 years now. It makes me feel old, as Brian said. I’ve been fortunate to live in a lot of different places, work in a lot of different jobs. I’ve been in and around most, nearly all, aspects of our company working in those areas, which helps me feel like I really do know our culture and the things that make us successful.

I’ve gotten to spend a lot of time with Alain and Brian. We’ve only had two CEOs — clearly they’ve both been pretty successful — so it’s massive shoes to step into. But, you know, I know how humble they are, the culture they drive, the focus on our stores and being present for our people. I’m very blessed and lucky to have all that background and experience.

CSN: Brian, you assumed the role of president and CEO of Couche-Tard in September 2014. Looking back, where was the company at that time? What was going well? What needed improvement? 

Hannasch: I joined in 2001 and we were 1,500, 1,600 stores. At that time, we had just entered Europe maybe the year before, so that was a huge change. The calendar and what time the alarms went off and what time we had calls just shifted forever. But in terms of the culture and the company, it was going well. I think we’ve always been very disciplined. We’ve always been very acquisitive, but very disciplined around doing that. So, I’ve been fortunate in my tenure and inherited a company that was financially capable and strong. We were a family of brands then. We probably had five or six different brands globally. Over the last five to seven years, we’ve gone down a journey to harmonize that under Circle K. 

The asset that we’ve had that I think has differentiated us and given us a license to do what we’ve done has really been our culture and I inherited a very strong one. I’d like to think that over the last decade, we’ve been pretty successful despite the growth at maintaining that and hopefully getting a little bit better on the people side of the business. 

CSN: Brian, what would you say are the achievements you’re most proud of during your tenure? 

Hannasch: I mean, there’s all kinds of numbers, right, about growth and stock performance and all that, but I would say seeing so many people grow in the company. So many people in our stores have told me great stories about putting their kids through college and how they’re doctors and things like that. So, just watching the people piece — and I probably wouldn’t have said that 10 years ago — but that to me is absolutely the most rewarding thing. We do a Gallup survey every year and eight years in a row, we improved our employee engagement. We’re not by any means perfect, but it’s a continuous journey to be a better people company. 

Let’s say that’s one and then two, when we bought Circle K 20 years ago this year, it was a bit of a tired brand. It had a lot of different owners and hadn’t been invested in. We’re on a journey to make that brand be something more than just a sign; make it a piece of the customer’s mind and their hearts to turn left instead of right. And again, that’ll be a continuous journey. We’ve got areas and geographies in countries where we’ve done that very well and others where it’s a work in progress. But I think we’ve developed a respected brand that means a lot to our employees and a lot to our customers. 

CSN: Alex, what have you learned from Brian that you will apply to your new role? 

Miller: Brian and I have known each other for almost 30 years. He was my second or third boss when I worked in Amoco. Especially during these last 12-13 years, we’ve spent a lot of time together, and we’ve been spending even more time together over the last few months, which is great. He is a teacher to me, a mentor to me. He’s also my friend.

What have I learned from him? The humility. If you see him in our stores, his genuine interest, his ability to talk to our managers and to learn. He is world-class at M&A [mergers and acquisitions], both the way he thinks and his appetite for it. And his attention to detail. It’s kind of a cliché, retail is detail, but he always knows and he’s always looking. I owe a great deal to Brian. I would not be sitting on this call with you today without him and everything he’s done for me. 

CSN: Brian, why do you think Alex is perfect for this role? 

Hannasch: We treasure our culture and so, bringing an internal candidate was very high on my list and I believe our board of directors’ list. [Alex] just gets the culture, and it’s not written down anywhere. It’s how you show up. It’s being a little bit humble. It’s being tremendously empathetic about the 150,000 people that we have out there working 365 [days a year], 24 hours a day, and just appreciating them and making sure they’re first and foremost in our thoughts. It’s so easy to get caught in your office doing stuff and Alex realizes that’s not how we win; that’s not how we take care of people and that’s not how we continue to build the culture. 

On top of that, he’s got a lot of skills in a lot of areas that, quite honestly, are better than me. So, a good package. And I think we’ve got a good team around him, like with me, to supplement any of the weaknesses or blind spots that we have. He’s in a great place.

CSN: Brian, how have you been helping to shepherd Alex into this new chapter? What advice have you given him?

Hannasch: I think your voice changes in the room. You have to be very careful … if you say something, you can easily enhance the conversation or kill it. So, I think that’s one and then two, if you ask for something, you’re likely to get it and that can tremendously distract the organization. So, just being a little careful. And then, focus I would say is the third I would leave you with. I think most companies get distracted and don’t implement their plans, so what are those four or five things that Alex wants to achieve over the next X period of time and just staying laser focused on those, and trying to stay out of the stuff — the minutia — that bogs us all down and clogs our emails and our team meetings. Easier said than done, but I worked hard at that.

CSN: Alex, thinking of your leadership style vs. Brian’s leadership style, how would you say it’s similar? How would you say it’s different? 

Miller: I think it’s pretty similar. Play to our strengths, which for me, it’s engaging with people. It’s hopefully being humble. It’s being transparent. It’s being honest. I think Brian and I share, and I know Alain shares, you know, just put great people around you, put people that you believe are smarter than you around you, and people that are different in the way they think and different in the way they approach things. 

I’ve always said that when I’m doing well, people don’t need me very much because they’re making decisions, they’re leading their business, they feel empowered. And I know Brian feels that way as well. So, that’s where my focus is. I feel like I know our culture. To me, that is our culture, and we’ll just continue to work to really protect that and empower that even further. 

CSN: Brian, when you were inducted into the Convenience Store News Hall of Fame back in 2022, you said your biggest fear was protecting Couche-Tard’s culture as the company got bigger. During your time as CEO, in what ways have you protected that culture? 

Hannasch: Today in 31 countries, [it’s] harder, but Alex and I have stayed very committed to being out in the business. So, we touch our business units at least twice a year and then we have several gatherings. Those are very important. We want a culture of being in the stores, appreciating the stores and people first. 

And then, COVID I think exposed us all to technologies and different ways of communicating and so, we’ve really dialed up from having not a lot of communications capabilities [to today], we’ve given our business units tools to communicate with the stores much more easily than they could before. That allows us to tell stories, but broadcast it across the world. 

A couple of other ones: I’ve been pretty passionate about getting rid of jerks in our company. I wasn’t always good at that and we’ve had some people that have been absolute rock stars, but they couldn’t treat people right. I probably learned a little too late in my life that that’s just not worth it. It’s a cancer that needs to go away. I’m not saying we’re perfect, but I think that’s been good for us, to make sure that we clearly communicate and role model behaving properly and treating others right. … Be respectful, the golden rule. 

And then, the other one is one of the keys to our success has been integrating companies well. I’ve been very proud that very rarely would somebody in this company say, ‘Who are you? Are you legacy Pantry or Circle K or…or…or…?’ We very quickly get people to feel like they’re part of the family and I think that’s the way we’ve modeled welcoming people, genuinely looking for their ideas, not coming in and saying this is the Couche-Tard way or the Circle K way. We genuinely want to learn and take best practices into the organization. I think that’s been a very, very important part of our culture as well that’s enabled a lot of the growth we’ve had over the years.

CSN: Alex, as CEO, where do you hope to take Couche-Tard in the near- and long-term? And how do you plan to do your part to protect the culture? 

Miller: We‘ve had two CEOs in 45 years, Alain and Brian, right? Big shoes to step into. But it is to continue that journey. One thing when I talk to our people [is] they like to be part of a growth company, so we absolutely want to continue to grow in the space. I think if you look at Brian’s tenure, I always look at three buckets: shareholder returns, people returns, community returns. And, you know as we’ve talked, I think he’s raised the bar materially in each of those areas, and I want to continue that. 

I think a relentless focus on the customer — how we actually can make their lives easier — that’s our stated mission and so, really digging deeper into that and how we can do that and how our scale enables us to provide solutions that maybe others don’t have. We want to be the global leader in mobility and convenience. I think we’re still early days on that journey, so just continuing that with a lot of intensity, which is another reason why I like working here.

CSN: Brian, what’s next for you? 

Hannasch: It’s a great question, and I really haven’t focused on it too much. I guess first, it’s making sure I’m there for Alex and the team. That’s important for me that this is a very smooth transition and it goes well. I think doing interesting things with interesting people is very high on my list. I haven’t defined that yet, but those are kind of two metrics or parameters that I’ve put out there. I’m 57, fortunate to be in good health, so I’ll find the next mountain to climb. But I couldn’t be more proud of Couche-Tard, and its best days are ahead of it.