Celebrating National Sibling’s Day with Aaron and Elise

You may not know this, but COBS Bread is a family-run business. Our president is Aaron Gillespie, and he is the son of the founders of parent company Bakers Delight, Roger and Lesley Gillespie. His sister Elise Gillespie and her husband Dave Christie are joint-CEOs of Bakers Delight in Australia. To celebrate National Siblings Day, we took a minute to talk to Aaron about what it’s like to work with his little sister!

What was your favourite thing to do together when you were kids?

We would love to fight over the trampoline!

Are you competitive with one another? 

Oh yes! See trampoline question above!

Who’s the better baker?

I [Aaron] am definitely the better baker!

What would you say is one of Elise’s strengths?

Elise is very disciplined in all aspects of her life, from her Ironman training to her education, and more.

How much do you talk about work at family get-togethers? Do you have any rules about that?

Absolutely, it always comes up, but make sure it doesn’t dominate the conversation. We have a designated time and a place for that- our Family Council meetings.

What advice would you have for other siblings who work together in business?

When it comes to working with your sibling, having defined parameters around management, ownership, and family is extremely important.

Anything else you’d like to add?

As siblings, you might naturally start off as competitive in life, but as you work together, it transitions from being competitive to much more collaborative and supportive.