Don Meij: Pizza Delivery Boy to Australia’s Billion Dollar CEO
Synopsis
Imagine being a college student wanting to become a teacher, taking on a simple part-time job to help pay for things, and becoming the head of a company worth billions somehow. That is exactly…
Imagine being a college student wanting to become a teacher, taking on a simple part-time job to help pay for things, and becoming the head of a company worth billions somehow. That is exactly what happened to Don Meij. His story is not a story of luck or cutting corners. It is about getting up every day, working harder than the rest, and holding true that even the smallest task done perfectly can open the largest doors. Don began making deliveries for pizzas in 1987 when he was still a student. Nearly forty years on, he retired as one of Australia's most successful business leaders. This is his story.
The Early Days of a Future Leader
Don Meij was born on the 27th of December 1968, in Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia. He had two sisters and was the middle one among them. He spent his childhood moving from place to place, between different places like Papua New Guinea for five years, and north Queensland for five years, before permanently settling in Brisbane. This perpetual relocation taught young Don the knack of adjusting to new environments and forming connections fast, abilities that would serve him well in his career in business.
Don attended Queensland's Clontarf Beach State High School. He wasn't rich or privileged. He was just an average boy with average dreams. He attended Queensland University of Technology, Kelvin Grove Campus, and studied to be a high school teacher from 1987 until 1989. Being a teacher was a secure and respectable profession. But life had something else in store for Don Meij.
The Job That Changed Everything
It was 1987, and Don was a university student. He had to work to earn a living, as any student would. He took up a part-time job delivering pizzas for Silvio's Dial-a-Pizza in Redcliffe, Queensland. To everyone else, it would have been a temporary job to support his university studies. Not for Don. He did not simply deliver pizzas. He learned the business. He watched how the store operated. He engaged with customers. He discovered what pleased people and what frustrated them.
Don was one of those delivery drivers who arrived on time, kept the pizzas hot, knew regular customers by name, and always had a smile on his face. His managers took notice. He was one of a kind when it came to work ethic. He received numerous awards, and in 1989, at the age of just 19, he received Silvio's Manager of the Year award. This wasn't about making pizzas. This was about working with humans, operating businesses, and repairing things. Don realised that he enjoyed business more than he enjoyed teaching.
He continued to leave university to do the pizza business full-time. Everyone was shocked. To give up on a teaching degree to do fast food was madness in the eyes of everyone else. But Don trusted his instincts. He could see something in people that other people could see only in pizzas.
Climbing the Ladder One Step at a Time
Then, after being named Manager of the Year, Don was transferred to Area Manager at the ripe age of 19. Then came more promotions. In 1989, he was made Store Manager, then Area Manager, then State Operations Manager, and lastly Director of National Operations between 1991 and 1993. Each role taught him something new. As a store manager, he knew operations on a daily basis. As an area manager, he gained knowledge of how to run multiple locations. As an operations manager, he learned systems and procedures.
The biggest turning point came in 1993. Silvio purchased the Australian operation of Domino's Pizza, and Don was made General Manager. The two businesses were operated separately to begin with. This gave Don a taste of operating two different pizza chains at the same time. He found out what worked and what did not. He studied customer trends. He experimented with marketing. He established relationships with suppliers and franchisees.
Don made a big move in 1996. He became a Domino's franchisee and created a chain of 17 stores. That made him an owner, not a manager. He invested his own money. He risked money. He worked even harder because now his business was at stake. Those 17 stores were experimentation labs. Don learned profit margins, inventory control, hiring, training, and customer service at a deeper level.
Becoming the CEO
In 2001, Don sold 17 stores he owned to the company for equity and became the Chief Operating Officer. Subsequently, in 2002, he became Chief Executive Officer as well as Managing Director. Don had already with the company for 15 years by this time. He was familiar with all the ins and outs of the business since he had done almost everything. From delivering goods to operating stores to having franchises to managing operations, he had done everything.
Being the CEO, Don had a dream. He did not desire Domino's to be another pizza firm but the greatest pizza firm in the world. In May 2005, Don saw Domino's become Australia's first publicly traded pizza firm on the Australian Securities Exchange. It was gigantic. It meant that now the investors felt confident in the firm enough to invest money in it. It also meant additional funds for expansion.
Don focused on three priorities: franchise partnerships, global expansion, and technology. He understood early that technology would transform the food industry. He invested heavily in online ordering systems, delivery tracking systems, and automated kitchen systems. Under his leadership, Domino's was inducted into the Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame in 2018 for its remarkable national and international success.
Building an International Empire
When Don became CEO, Domino's had 387 locations and $300 million in sales. When he retired, the company had 3,700 locations with more than $4 billion in sales. That is more than ten times in locations and more than thirteen times in revenue. With his leadership, Domino's Pizza Enterprises grew from a Brisbane company to a genuinely global business, market leader in all of the markets in which the company had operated for more than three years in Europe and Asia-Pacific.
The company expanded to 12 markets within Asia-Pacific and Europe. Japan, France, Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands were the backbone of the business now. Don did not open stores haphazardly. He studied each market with meticulousness. He was aware that the customer in Japan was different from the customer in France. He flexed operations and menu according to local preferences but kept the Domino's identity.
Don was awarded many industry awards, including the Ernst & Young Australian Young Entrepreneur of the Year in 2004. More important than awards was that he had respect from franchise partners, employees, and competitors. He created a culture where performance was valued, but people were valued more. He went out of his way to meet new employees personally regularly, even though the company had thousands of employees. He believed that great companies consist of great people.
The Challenges and Last Years
Every success story would not be the same without challenges. In 2022, Don was remunerated $36.84 million as Australia's highest-paid CEO. While this reflected his value to the company, it raised eyebrows during lean economic times. In his subsequent years as CEO, the business had rising operational costs, inflation, and weaker sales in some foreign markets like Japan, Germany, and France. The stock price fluctuated. Competition was from other pizza chains and food delivery websites.
But Don never lost hope. He continued to challenge innovation and efficiency. He worked on issues, not excuses. He knew that business cycles, and in their bad times, difficult choices must be made. He invested in new technology, improved supply chains, and supported franchise partners through hard times.
Retirement and Legacy
In November 2024, Don Meij stepped down as CEO after 22 years and close to 40 years with the company. He was replaced by Mark van Dyck. Don continued on to support the transition. In announcing his retirement, Don said: "When I started as a delivery driver in Redcliffe, Queensland, I never imagined I'd end up CEO of a truly global business with more than $4 billion in sales.".
His legacy is not about the figures, though they are staggering. It is about showing that there is no such thing as a small job. Any job matters if you do it with pride and dedication. Don showed that family funds or Ivy League degrees are not needed to attain success. You need a work ethic, curiosity, and the willingness to take the leap of faith. He turned a part-time delivery job into a lifetime of accomplishment.
Don Meij remains one of the greatest examples of leadership in Australian business history. He created something bigger than himself. He employed thousands of people. He pleased millions of customers. And he did it all by starting at the bottom of the ladder and working his way up, rung by rung, pizza by pizza.
FAQs
- How did Don Meij's career at Domino's start?
He started as a part-time delivery driver for Silvio's Dial-a-Pizza in 1987 while he was getting ready to be a teacher.
- For how many years was Don Meij the CEO at Domino's Pizza Enterprises?
He was CEO and Managing Director for 22 years, from 2002 until his retirement in 2024.
- How much was Don Meij paid as CEO?
In 2022, he received $36.84 million, and it made him Australia's highest-paid CEO that year.
- How much did Domino's grow during Don Meij's term?
The business grew from 387 stores and $300 million in sales to 3,700 stores and over $4 billion in sales.
- Who succeeded Don Meij as Domino's CEO?
Mark van Dyck took over when Don retired in November 2024.
For more updates on Don Meji, follow him on Instagram, and explore his company’s official website.
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At Inspirepreneurs Magazine, covering entrepreneurship, business failures, and the human stories behind the world's most ambitious founders. She writes at the intersection of strategy and storytelling.
