Candidate overview
Senior buying and category management leader with more than 21 years’ experience across retail, FMCG and regulated commercial environments. Background spans healthcare, cycling, outdoor retail, DIY and consumer products, with full accountability for category portfolios worth up to £173.25m and responsibility for multi-channel trading, supplier strategy, own brand development and commercial performance.
Operates effectively within complex, multi-site and commercially demanding environments, leading cross-functional teams through transformation, optimisation and change programmes. Experienced at Board and Executive level, with a strong track record of building commercially focused buying functions that move beyond transactional procurement to become strategic contributors to growth, margin improvement and operational performance.
Combines hands-on leadership with strong commercial and analytical capability, delivering improvements across supplier management, stock optimisation, EBITDA performance, systems implementation and team capability development. Recognised for creating high-performing cultures with strong engagement, accountability and retention.
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Profile highlights / Key strengths / What they bring
- Senior Head of Buying and Category Management leader with extensive retail and FMCG experience
- Full commercial accountability across portfolios valued up to £175m
- Strong background in category strategy, procurement, own brand development and supplier management
- Proven success delivering margin improvement, stock optimisation and EBITDA performance
- Extensive experience operating within multi-channel retail and distribution environments
- Skilled in leading and developing high-performing buying, merchandising and product teams
- Significant experience managing strategic supplier negotiations, trading terms and commercial frameworks
- Track record of delivering transformation and process improvement programmes across buying and procurement functions
- Comfortable operating at Board and Executive level within regulated, commercial and fast-paced organisations
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Recent impact includes
- Grew tendered contract sales from by 100% through the development of a strategic supplier partnership programme
- Delivered a 7 percentage point margin improvement while reducing SKU count
- Increased own brand sales mix
- Reduced stock holding
- Secured an increase in rebates
- Led the transition from third-party sourcing agents to direct Far East sourcing, improving commercial control and reducing dependency risk
- Built high-performing buying and category teams that achieved the highest engagement and retention scores within the organisations operated in
- Developed structured cross-functional planning and governance frameworks to improve launch discipline, reporting consistency and commercial execution
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Industry / Environment experience
- Retail
- FMCG
- Healthcare and regulated products
- DIY and home improvement
- Outdoor and sporting goods
- Cycling and specialist retail
- Multi-channel commerce and distribution
- Own brand and private label environments
- UK and EMEA commercial operations
- High-volume SKU and supplier management environments
- Experience includes operating within large-scale retail businesses, regulated healthcare organisations, multinational groups and commercially complex trading environments with responsibility across buying, merchandising, sourcing, supplier partnerships and category performance.
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Leadership & stakeholder management
- Leadership of buying, merchandising, product development and supplier management teams of over 15 people
- Extensive Board and Executive stakeholder engagement experience
- Strong cross-functional leadership across marketing, operations, finance, supply chain, quality and digital functions
- Experienced in organisational change, team restructuring and capability development
- Proven ability to create accountable, commercially focused and high-engagement team cultures
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Best suited for
- Head of Buying / Senior Buyer
- Category Director
- Procurement & Commercial Leadership roles
- Interim or permanent commercial transformation assignments
- Organisations seeking to professionalise or optimise buying and category functions
- Businesses undergoing supplier, stock or margin improvement programmes
- Retail, FMCG, healthcare or distribution organisations managing complex product portfolios
- Environments requiring strong cross-functional leadership and operational improvement capability
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Commercials / Key info
- Available for permanent, interim or consultancy assignments
- Experienced operating within complex multi-site and multi-channel environments
- Strong UK and EMEA supplier and stakeholder management background
- Additional commercial and rate information available on request
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A commercially focused buying and category leadership professional with a proven track record of delivering transformation, commercial optimisation and high-performing teams across complex retail, FMCG and regulated environments.
