Background: Domino's is Australia's largest pizza chain, known for its $8 pizzas and stuffed cheesy crusts. It opened its first Australian store in 1983 and now operates 872 stores across Australia and New Zealand. But the business has had a rough run, with falling sales causing the chain to shut 29 Australian stores this year.

What happened: This week, Domino's showed the door to its Australia and New Zealand CEO, Merrill Pereyra, after just nine months in the job. The company said they had "mutually agreed" to part ways... effective immediately.

What else: Pereyra isn't the first Domino's leader to leave recently. Group CEO Mark van Dyck abruptly quit in July 2025 after less than a year, while the UK chief executive left that same year "by mutual agreement" after two years. This latest leadership turnover is down to Pereyra not moving fast enough on plans to turn the business around, according to sources close to the decision.

What's the key learning?

💡 Turnaround management is all about using analysis and planning to try and save a troubled company. The goal is to restore profitability and help get the business back on track.

💡 When a business stops performing, investors tend to look to the top for answers. And when you’re as deep in the red as Domino’s… the answer they want is profit (or at least less of a loss).

💡 Turnarounds often involve store closures, cost-cutting and pricing changes. Domino's has already been doing this... selling fewer pizzas but making more on each one. But if results don't improve quickly enough, leadership can pay the price.