PETpla.net Insider 01+02 / 2011

PET TOP TALK 15 PET planet insider Vol. 12 No. 01+02/11 www.petpla.net has an exceptional foundation but if Husky wasn’t around as an independ- ent brand a hundred years from now, I would be disappointed. PETplanet: Bob Schad told us in his interview, that “leadership is the most important thing in business. But in the end, the team you assemble makes the difference”. Is this statement of your predecessor applicable to John Galt? John Galt: I was smart enough to realize earlier that surrounding yourself with people smarter than you is a very good thing to do. I spend truly 50% of my time on the team today, on valuat- ing positions, leadership talent, devel- opment programmes, that’s the number 1 priority in our business. We know that we have to have the right people doing the right job. PETplanet: The organisation and structure of today’s company are more democratic, and adopt a more modern, human approach than used to be the case in the pioneering years. Right or wrong for Husky in 2010? John Galt: The direction of the company is ultimately my responsibility. But I think “democratic” is an interesting term. It would be foolish not to listen to somebody who has more knowledge about certain subjects. When we can’t reach consensus, I make the final deci- sion. PETplanet: Is growth the key element in Husky’s future planning? Or is it profits? Or is it profits through growth? John Galt: Anybody who ignores the fact that a business must be profit- able to continue to attract the support of an investor and be able to have their confidence to make the kind of long- term investments that are necessary is fooling himself. Every business has to have a reasonable level of profit- ability. It is absolutely necessary to have investor confidence. But on the other hand, if one focuses solely on profits, one might forego some of those future investments. It is a balance to be reached on growth, we want to grow, we want to grow consistently, we want to grow through serving our custom- ers and we want to retain a level of profitability through that growth that allows us to continue to have investor confidence. PETplanet: Thank you very much.