Kira Macleod-Finke knows how to navigate complexity. As Head of Direct-to-Consumer at The Body Shop Australia, she’s led the brand through a fast-tracked Shopify replatform, restructured the entire DTC team to bridge the gap between physical and digital, and helped bring The Body Shop’s global vision to life. With career stops at T2, Country Road, Trenery, and Jeanswest, Kira brings deep experience in retail operations, team leadership, and customer experience, balancing commercial growth with a focus on people and purpose. In this Add To Cart Checkout session, we get a glimpse into Kira’s personal shopping quirks, the tech she leans on, and the brands that have her attention.
The Backyard Smoker That Took a Village
During lockdown, Kira’s household made a particularly heavy online purchase. Her husband bought a 400-kilogram iron smoker that needed to be craned into their front yard. What followed was a community effort to get it into place. “It sat there for weeks until we rallied four neighbours to help drag it down the driveway,” she shared. The DIY spirit continued as they tried, and failed, to build makeshift skateboards to move it. Eventually, they embraced the old-school method. “Someone suggested, why don’t you just do it like the Egyptians, with rollers? So we did. PVC pipes, a lot of running around. But, you know what? The meat’s good.”
When a Lift Ride Leads to a New Favourite Brand
Kira’s discovery of her latest favourite handbag brand didn’t come from a curated Instagram ad, but from an unexpected encounter in a lift. She spotted a bag with “really distinctive handles,” but Kira admitted she wasn’t bold enough to ask the person about it directly. Instead, the moment stuck with her, and later, as she scrolled social media, she recognised the brand as Sans Beast. “Once I said it out loud, I kept seeing it in my feed,” she laughed.
With the brand using Shopify, the checkout experience was seamless. “They got the result, they got me to buy the bag. Well done, Sans Beast.” For Kira, it’s a perfect example of how physical moments and digital convenience can work hand in hand, and a reminder that product discovery still often starts offline.
Cancel the Meetings, Bring on the Noise Cancelling
When asked about the tech she can’t live without, Kira keeps it practical. For her, noise-cancelling headphones are essential, especially on long-haul flights, describing them as “a match made in heaven.” But for day-to-day strategic thinking, Kira relies on AI. Specifically, she’s developed a productive relationship with Claude, the conversational AI tool from Anthropic.
“Claude and I, we’re in a relationship now,” she joked. “It helps me knock out ideas, refine concepts, and make sure what’s in my head makes sense to anyone else.” While she acknowledges AI isn’t perfect, she sees it as a useful tool for sharpening thinking and cutting through the clutter. “It’s like a first draft buddy ,it helps get me to version one faster,” she said.
Learning from Mistakes (and Podcasts)
Kira’s appetite for learning extends beyond AI. She’s a fan of Nudge, a podcast that, in her words, offers “those little golden nuggets that stick with you.” She particularly enjoyed a recent episode that explored how “making mistakes actually leads to better learning,” a mindset she applies to her own leadership style.
She also credits Add To Cart as a key source of inspiration when she first took on the digital transformation at The Body Shop. “This podcast has been such a key factor for me. It’s where I learned a lot of the language and frameworks to bring into the business,” she shared. For Kira, constantly seeking fresh perspectives from outside her category is critical to avoid getting stuck in industry tunnel vision.
Play Now, Say No Later
Right now, Kira describes her team as being “like kids in a candy store” with their newly replatformed Shopify site, experimenting with add-ons, upsells and checkout features. But she’s also aware that this phase won’t last forever. “ERP replatform is coming. That’s when the fun stops, and the discipline starts,” she said. For Kira, the challenge isn’t about immediately reining in the playfulness, but finding the right time to do so.
“We’re in playtime now, but I know what can happen when you don’t rein that in eventually,” she said. Kira is using this window to empower the team to test, learn and stretch their skills, while keeping one eye on the looming operational priorities that will require tighter guardrails.
Great Leaders Stay Curious
Leadership isn’t always about the big, polished strategies. It’s about staying curious, open to new tools, and willing to let your team play before locking down the rules. Whether it’s experimenting with new tech, embracing AI as a thinking partner, or letting ecommerce teams explore add-ons before the serious ERP work kicks in, Kira reminds us that a little playfulness can fuel a lot of progress. For anyone navigating transformation, her approach offers a timely reminder: lean into the messy middle, make space for experimentation, and remember that progress often looks a little scrappy before it looks strategic.
Want to hear more from Kira? Listen to the full checkout episode here:
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