Why Is This Happening For Me? Leadership, Values and the Retail Journey – with Alastair Islip

Why Is This Happening For Me?

In this episode of Coach Class, I’m joined by former Asda colleague Alastair Islip, now European Managing Director at Nulo Pet Food.

Alastair’s career journey is anything but linear. He began on the Woolworths graduate scheme, moved into buying almost by accident, and after a formative year in America and a spell working as a distributor into Asda, found himself joining the business that would shape him for the next 13 years. From there, he went on to senior leadership at Pets at Home, stepped out on his own into consulting, and now leads Nulo’s expansion across Europe.

What makes this conversation compelling isn’t just the career moves — it’s the values underpinning them.

Alastair speaks warmly about his time at Asda and the culture at its best: respect for the individual, all colleagues one team, striving for excellence. He reflects on the influence of leaders like Duncan Cross, whose energy and will to win left a lasting mark. The idea of visible leadership — managing by walking around, setting standards through presence — clearly shaped how Alastair thinks about leading today.

Importantly, he didn’t leave Asda because he fell out of love with retail. He left because he felt some of those values had faded, and he knew he wanted to work somewhere that still embodied them. That search for purpose and alignment led him to Pets at Home — and into a high-growth environment delivering double-digit growth year after year.

It was also where imposter syndrome showed up loudly.

Alastair talks openly about that feeling — wondering if he’d be found out — and about the reassurance he received early on: “Take three months.” Over time, he realised imposter syndrome isn’t something to eliminate, but something to manage. It can be healthy, as long as you recognise that you do know some stuff.

After Pets at Home, he made the deliberate decision to go solo. Consulting brought early success — stronger and faster than expected — but it didn’t remove uncertainty. He still woke up worrying: what if it all disappears? That period led to one of the most powerful reframes in the episode:

“Why is this happening for me, not why is this happening to me?”

That shift in perspective changed how he viewed pressure, risk and opportunity. It’s also what ultimately led him full circle — one of his first consulting clients became his next role. Today, as European MD at Nulo, he’s building the brand across the UK, Italy and Spain, with further expansion underway. He’s scaling a team across countries, navigating hybrid working across time zones, and shaping culture from the ground up — without pretending to have all the answers.

Throughout the episode, one theme keeps resurfacing: relationships.

Having sat on both sides of the desk, Alastair is clear about what makes a strong supplier–retailer partnership. Treat people how you want to be treated. Be honest about what’s possible. Do what you say you will. Don’t screw anybody over. Whether buying toilet rolls or selling pet food, the fundamentals don’t change.

This conversation is a reminder that careers are built on people and principles, that culture matters deeply, and that perspective can transform pressure into progress.

When I asked Alastair what advice he’d give himself on day one at Asda, his answer was simple:

“Smile and enjoy it.”

Because even through the pressure, the uncertainty and the imposter syndrome, the ride

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