I have many retail clients in the UK and overseas. Grocery, clothing and non-food. High street, out of town, online, catalogue and multi-channel. Physical and virtual products. And most functions and processes within Retail. I’m broadly considered an expert in the retail industry and am regularly sought out as such, both in the UK and globally.
“I supported this international group with the development of a new strategy and supporting plan” I worked with the Exec Directors from multiple countries and business units, across both Ballyclare and Simon Jersey brands, and the Group Non-Execs, facilitating a programme of workshops to develop a new strategy and underpinning programme of change. In addition,[…]
“I supported the board with a demerger of the business, refinancing and plans for expansion” I supported this family owned business to manage the practicalities of a demerger of their business that they had agreed to carry out. Once complete, I supported the CEO, new board and investors to develop an ambitious new strategy including[…]
“I supported the board with strategy development and planning” I worked with the board of this B2B retailer of tools and other equipment and suppliers, to develop a turnaround and growth strategy, together with leadership development and coaching. Having completed a series of workshops and parallel strategic planning, I worked with functional teams, in particular[…]
Iain is an excellent programme director whom I highly recommend. He recently supported us on a large colleague engagement initiative which needed a complete reset and replan. He quickly assessed the situation, stabilised the team and managed the replan. His particular strengths include: ability to deal with complexity, calm, thoughtful approach and pragmatic commercially focussed[…]
I led the GO Outdoors IT function and business change programme through acquisition by JD Sports. In this article, the Financial Times confirms the CMA’s decision to approve the acquisition.
“I have helped the Co-op on a number of occasions across a variety of their businesses and functions.” 2 major assignments with the Co-op were leading their supply chain transformation programme following the acquisition of Somerfield and leading their cultural change programme to support the relaunch and rebranding of the group. Programme Director – Supply Chain[…]
I led the Being Coop Leadership & Cultural Change Programme to support the rebranding of the Co-operative Group. In this article, the Guardian unveils the Co-op’s plan to take the business back to its roots.
“I supported the development of future proposition ideas for the IKEA Family loyalty programme.” As the world’s largest and most well known furniture & household accessories retailer, IKEA requires little introduction. With 80 million members, the IKEA Family loyalty programme is one of the largest programmes globally, yet there are always opportunities to improve. I was[…]
“I consulted with this online retailer, supporting the restructure of their transformation programme.” With nearly £1 billion turnover across over 20 multi-channel retail brands, N Brown is one of the largest online retail operators in the UK. When new senior management joined the business in 2014 they engaged me to support the review of their £100m technology-enabled business[…]
“I’ve supported Arco, the B2B safety products retailer, on a number of assignments including a period as interim Change & IT Director” Arco is the UK’s number one provider of workplace safety products & services. With over 60 stores and sales offices across the UK, this family-owned B2B retailer turns over around £300m each year (as at 2015).[…]
Iain joined the Arco operations board at a critical time in our business development process. His ability to quickly assess the organisations complexities and make sense of the key priorities is truly impressive. He is able to blend strategic insight and operational requirements to develop business strategies that differentiate and deliver real value. I really[…]
Iain did a superb job for us, far exceeding our expectations. He was engaged for 9 months to help us 1) formulate an IT strategy, 2) lead the IT/Change function with over 50 colleagues and land the required organisational change, 3) support the E-commerce Director and 4) support/develop his permanent replacement in the role. This[…]
“I consulted with Morrisons on a variety of digital initiatives, including leading the design & delivery of a major CRM programme.” Morrisons is the 4th largest supermarket in the UK with a turnover in excess of £15bn pa and around 500 stores. Following acquisition of Safeway in 2004 and the ensuing integration and changes in[…]
I created and led the Morrisons CRM programme, including the design and procurement of the Miles & More loyalty and price match proposition. In this article, London Evening Standard breaks news of the new Miles & More proposition.
Iain has remarkable energy and tenacity. He created an excellent foundation for me in Morrisons, building the CRM capability. His knowledge and expertise in these matters is very strong, he served Morrisons well. I was very worried when he said that he had been consulting for us rather too long (over 2 years) and would[…]
I created and led the Morrisons CRM programme which built a world class capability for managing customer data. In this article, Marketing Week discusses the scope of the CRM capability.
I set up the knowledge transfer process and induction for business leads heading to Fresh Direct in New York. In this article the Guardian discusses the Fresh Direct acquisition by Morrisons.
I helped refocus the Morrisons eCommerce strategy to exploit the newly acquired online business, Kiddicare.com, and led a number of projects to integrate the operation into the wider Morrisons business. In this article, the Guardian reports on the acquisition.
Iain is a fantastic change agent. He has a deep understanding of what makes organisations, teams and individuals tick and what hinders them from delivering on their ambition. Iain has an incisive intellect and scythes through complexity to make the options simple to realise. Iain is not afraid to be tough on the issues and[…]
I led the SMART programme to transform the Co-operative’s supply chain following its acquisition of Somerfield. In this article, Computer World reports on the progress being made at that time.
Iain is a real pro, one of the brightest thinkers I’ve worked with in any company. Very strategic and disciplined in his thinking, but also a real operators ability to put the ideas in to practice. An absolute wealth of knowledge and experience across many industries, I have personally consulted with Iain over the last[…]
“What started as a consulting brief focused on growth quickly turned into a turnaround-focused restructuring assignment.” With over €12 billion turnover through over 120 multi-channel retail brands, Otto is one of the very largest online retail operators globally. Otto acquired a number of retail catalogue brands in the UK in 1999, including Freemans and Grattans,[…]
Iain is a talented Programme Manager who has the ability to operate at a strategic level but also “deep dive” to a significant level of detail. He has a hands on approach, is pragmatic and delivery focused. A very good mix of business understanding and IT knowledge. Chief Operating Officer Otto UK – Freeman Grattan[…]
I supported the restructure of Otto’s UK business leading a variety of cost reduction projects across the organisation. In this article, Sky News announces the restructuring of the contact centre operation.
Iain joined WH Smith Direct a few weeks before me. He quickly grasped the business and key issues and developed business plan initiatives. Iain is an exceptional team player and worked very hard to develop the team ethos within the management team and the wider business. Communications on KPI’s and performance improved considerably and each[…]
“I was engaged to review the Lloyds Pharmacy e-commerce strategy and capability.” Lloyds Pharmacy, part of the multi-national Celesio AG group, operates more than 1500 pharmacy stores in local communities and health centres turning over in excess of £1.5bn. Stores stock a range of prescription and over the counter pharmaceuticals in addition to a broad range of[…]
“I advised a major Saudi group on the development of a loyalty programme and creation of a retail financial services proposition.” Savola is one of Saudi Arabia’s leading diversified groups, with a strong presence across the MENA region (Middle East and North Africa). Outside of it core market of Saudi Arabia, Savola is also present in[…]
“I led WHSmith Direct through the most significant period of business change in its history, delivering step change improvement in sales and profit performance” In April 2003, I was engaged to lead WHSmith Direct through this period of significant business change and opportunity. This would allow the main board director responsible for the business to focus[…]
I provide this reference in the sure knowledge that Iain can make a significant contribution to your own organisation, in a wide variety of ways. Iain’s significant track record in retail, and in particular his wide experience in online businesses, was the driver for us asking him to take on the role of Chief Operating[…]
I was a contractor involved in some substantial business sytem changes in WHSmith Direct before and while Iain was interim CEO. It was very helpful when Iain arrived and grasped the key important issues very quickly. Consultant WHSmith 22 June 2003