I BRING BOARDROOM RIGOUR TO OPERATIONAL REALITY.
I am a board advisor, Non-Executive Director and Chair for UK consumer businesses. I spent 25 years carrying the P&L at some of Britain's best-known retailers. Now I use that experience to help boards make better commercial decisions.
Grey hairs, not slides
I have sat in the director's chair at Majestic Wine, Hamleys and Wickes. I have taken businesses through private equity ownership, PLC governance, family succession and a £70m sale. I govern with the lens of someone who has carried the commercial risk, because I have.
The numbers behind the claims
Majestic Wine - Chief Customer Officer. Recruited by the PE investor for the turnaround of the UK's largest specialist wine retailer. Profit quadrupled from £6m to £24m. Revenue grew 26% to £383m. The investor made a 4x return.
Hamleys - Executive Director, Marketing, Digital and Customer. Brought in to prepare the world's most famous toy shop for sale. Led the commercial repositioning and the due diligence. The result: a £70m sale to Reliance Industries. E-commerce profit grew 8% in a year.
Wickes - Brand & Marketing Director. Board-level role in a £1.5bn omnichannel retailer. Repositioned the showroom journey for sustained double-digit growth. New category propositions added 12% margin.
Where I sit today
Non-Executive Chair, Harvey Jones. The premium handmade kitchen maker, around 50 years old, with its own manufacturing and about 25 showrooms. Chairing an investor-backed turnaround and building exit readiness.
Non-Executive Chair, ExtraCare Retail. The retail division of a social purpose enterprise. Balancing commercial discipline with mission.
NED and Advisory Board Chair, Volunteer It Yourself. A community interest company I have helped scale from £20k to over £4m turnover.
Recent advisory work includes AlixPartners, as a senior advisor on retail and consumer restructuring. I also spent two years with EP Barrus, the 100-year-old family-owned engines business, as advisor and part-time CMO.
Five ownership models, one standard
I have governed under private equity, PLC, family, community interest company and special-situations investor ownership. Each needs different behaviour from its board. I adapt the governance to the ownership without ever losing independence.
Credentials
Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing. Mini MBA in Marketing under Mark Ritson. BSc (Hons), University of Liverpool.
Start with a conversation
If any of this sounds like the challenge on your board table, the first step is simple. Bring one problem. If I am not the right person, I will tell you.
