CEO interview: Nick Robertson of ASOS

Friday, September 03, 2010 | Posted by: Fiona Cullinan
Categories: Retail sector | Tags: business, entrepreneur, CEO, interview, online, retail, Nick Robertson, ASOS, e-commerce, shopping

Since internet fashion retailer began 10 years ago, ASOS founder and CEO Nick Robertson has helped to define the new millennium’s online retail revolution. But it seems that ’s just the start. “We plan to make ASOS a £1 billion sales company in five markets in just five years,” he says.

What was your first job?
I was a petrol pump attendant at my brother-in-law’s garage. It was working outdoors without the fresh air, but at least I got to meet lots of new people every day…

Who has been your best boss?
I like the way the current ASOS chairman (Lord Waheed Alli) can grasp the big issues quickly. Detail is important, of course, but he takes a strategic view of the world. When things get foggy, he has a knack of finding clarity, and I always leave meetings feeling like I’ve learned something.

Has there been a pivotal career moment?
We started at a time when there were a lot of internet casualties. A pivotal moment was when we thought, “Hang on, we’re still alive and in the race and we’re out on our own. Let’s go for it – we can be as big as we want to be.”

Describe the way you work
Pretty frantic. When you love the job you find surprising energy reserves. I like to have stuff yesterday, to keep moving, thinking, looking and learning. I work with the people who can best make these big ideas happen. Why can’t we do this? Let’s have a look – let’s come up with something really amazing. I never forget that everyone has a valuable role to play. This business is all about ideas, so why hold back?

Which part of business do you enjoy most?
Making sense of the future. Crystal-balling while being commercial. I keep asking myself and asking everyone around me, “Come on, what’s next?” I want to find those doors and I want them opened. Okay, we linked celebrities and fashion, then we put fashion online and now we’re going global in a shrinking world. Let’s make that happen, but what’s next? That’s the fun for me.

What do you bring as a leader?
You’d have to ask other people about that. I suppose I try to be energetic, enthusiastic and honest. I try and get everyone fired up to make this business the best it can be for all of us. It’s serious, of course, but it’s amazing, it’s fast-moving and it’s fun. And it’s okay to laugh.

What have you learned in the past year?
Well, under normal circumstances it pays to be conservative in your planning against a pretty dire financial backdrop. But that reckons without the internet. Looking back to our forecasts, the world didn’t fall off a cliff and in the end our more conservative growth plans resulted in under-potentialising.

Tell your younger self one thing
It may be a cliché to say, “Work hard enough and long enough and it will eventually come good,” but there’s a reason why a lot of successful people believe it.

How do you cope with stress?
Family, young kids, the realities of life. My kids don’t care too much about my day job. They just want a Daddy who does Daddy stuff. And that’s a great stress-buster.

In another life what would you have been?
Oh, I don’t know. An entertainer. A singer. I’ve got all the moves! Who is the most extraordinary person you’ve ever met? So many, but one would be Jeff Bezos (founder of Amazon). His letter to shareholders in 1997 showed his extraordinary vision and changed the rules. Also, where he says, “We feel good about what we’ve done, and even more excited about what we want to do.” I know exactly how he feels.

Any unfulfilled ambitions?
Too many to mention, but I’m working through them. It’s never too late, not really. Why look back at what you haven’t done? There are plenty of other things to do – get over it, find something even better and give that a try.

Where will you be in 10 years’ time?
That concept is terrifying, and exciting, and beyond anyone’s imagination. Isn’t that great? People who say there’s nothing new had better think again. I love the fact that ASOS can play a part in harnessing all this unbelievable potential and making it happen.

Interview: Jonathan Groves. This article originally appeared in Elevate magazine for business leaders.

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