Anthony Heraghty lost his position as CEO and Group Managing Director of Super Retail Group in September 2025 in an extraordinarily dramatic fashion that rocked the Australian retail industry. It was a high-profile termination, which happened with immediate effect, that ended a long-lustrous career, a career of more than 20 years in Australian retail and marketing.
Who Is Anthony Heraghty?
Anthony Heraghty had established a long history of experience as one of the most successful retail executives in Australia, and his exit from Super Retail Group was controversial. Heraghty was born and grew up in Queensland and has a Bachelor of Business from Queensland University of Technology, and has successfully completed the Company Directors Course with the Australian Institute of Company Directors in 2017.
He started his career in advertising, where he worked as Managing Director at McCann Australia (1994-2003 / 2003-2006) and George Patterson Y&R. In his future retailing success, these formative marketing and communications basics would come in handy.
Anthony Heraghty’s Career Journey
Anthony Heraghty has proven himself to be a transformational leader in various industries before he joined Super Retail Group. His pre-SRG career highlight was at Pacific Brands, where he worked as the Group General Manager at the Bonds underwear business between 2009 and 2015. In this period, he was able to turn Bonds into a wholesale business into a direct-to-consumer omni-retailer, which has grown its retail outlets to 75 stores.
His skills in marketing were also developed when he worked as Global Marketing Director in Foster Group (2006-2009), one of the biggest beverage firms in Australia at that time.
Super Retail Group Leadership
In April 2015, Anthony Heraghty was appointed to manage the Rays, Macpac, and BCF businesses as the Managing Director of Outdoor Retailing at the Super Retail Group. His strategic planning and implementation skills rapidly impressed the board, which made him a Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer in February 2019.
Super Retail Group, which manages iconic Australian brands like Supercheap Auto, Rebel, BCF, and Macpac, has provided good financial results under the leadership of Heraghty. The company has recorded high sales and omni-retail capacity, and online sales increased by 44 per cent under his watch. Anthony Heraghty is a shareholder with a net worth approximated as $3 million, as of August 2025, from Super Retail Group shareholdings.
The Controversial Dismissal of Anthony Heraghty
The situation under which Anthony Heraghty was fired revolves around his deal with Jane Kelly, former Chief Human Resources Officer of Super Retail Group. The statement made by the board disclosed that Anthony Heraghty failed to make a full disclosure of the nature of this relationship, and his prior disclosures could be considered unsatisfactory.
The relationship claims arose first in April 2024, when two ex-employees, Rebecca Farrell (a former chief legal officer) and Amelia Berczelly (former company secretary), did so in a lawsuit in the Federal Court. These whistleblowers claimed that they were fired when they had complained about the relationship that resulted in a toxic working environment and governance.
Legal Battle and Settlement
The Anthony Heraghty court battle went further than his personal termination. The initial damages sought by the two ex-employees were estimated between 30 and 50 million dollars, citing workplace bullying and harassment following the reporting of the undisclosed relationship. Court documents indicated certain of these allegations, such as staff witnessing Heraghty and Kelly together in Brisbane hotels and bars.
A few days following the dismissal of Heraghty in September 2025, Super Retail Group settled with the former employees privately under an undisclosed sum less than the range originally asserted.
Financial Impact and Consequences
When the board decided to fire Anthony Heraghty, it ordered him to give up all his entitlements to incentives, such as unvested long-term incentive awards valued at about three to four million, among others. His yearly compensation plan in the 2024 financial year amounted to 3.3 million dollars in total, with a base salary of 1.45 million dollars.
The share price of Super Retail Group decreased by up to 7.1% on the day of the announcement, which indicated the concern of the investors with the leadership stability. David Burns, who holds the position of Chief Financial Officer, was employed as the interim CEO as the firm tries to find a permanent successor.
Anthony Heraghty’s Family and Personal Life
The information on the family of Anthony Heraghty is still highly confidential, with only the documents in the court showing that he was a recently divorced person when he was dismissed. The wife and personal life of Anthony Heraghty have remained out of the limelight, except in cases of legal action regarding his dismissal.
The age of the former CEO, along with other personal information, has not been greatly publicised, and this is because he values his privacy in his family life during his corporate career.
Super Retail Group’s Future Direction
After Anthony Heraghty left, Super Retail Group still runs its collection of renowned Australian retail brands. The company was started by Reg and Hazel Rowe in 1972 as a mail-order automotive accessories house business out of their Brisbane home and has developed to be one of the largest retailers in Australasia.
The firm has more than 700 stores in Australia and New Zealand, with more than 15,000 employees, and has a yearly revenue of about 4 billion dollars. The leadership shake-up notwithstanding, analysts insist that the firing of Heraghty was not based on the performance of the company in its operations.
Lessons for Corporate Australia
The case of Anthony Heraghty indicates the need to focus on corporate governance and the disclosure of information clearly to senior executives in Australian firms. The case has led to a debate on relationships at the workplace, power, and the obligation of leaders in the companies to ensure proper professional limits.
Australian Shareholders Association CEO Rachel Waterhouse described the board’s decision to lose the bonuses of Heraghty as absolutely necessary, stating that accountability and ethical leadership by the CEO is the most important factor in ensuring stakeholder trust.
The Anthony Heraghty saga can serve as a warning to the corporate world of Australia, which is that individual behaviour may have far-reaching implications for an individual, a corporation, and even the shareholders. Going forward with new leadership at the helm of Super Retail Group, the retail giant will have a challenge to regain its lost trust as it continues to remain one of the most recognisable retail success stories in Australia.
