Keep in touch with meI'm using Intch to connect with new people. Use this link to open chat with me via Intch app
Work Background
Carr's Billington LtdManaging Director
Aug. 2022 - Mar. 2024United Kingdom · Hybrid
Kelda Group PlcInterim Commercial Transformation Director
Jul. 2021 - Dec. 2022Leeds, England, United Kingdom · HybridThe Kelda Group provides water and sewerage services to domestic and business customers across Yorkshire. Its main subsidiary is Yorkshire Water, which provides services to over five million people and 100,000 businesses. Its activities are primarily regulated by the Water Services Regulation Authority, Ofwat. Its profit for 2020-2021 was £63m, with a net assets position of just under £1bn. At Kelda, I have led a commercial transformation of the organisation to quickly deliver a new level of sustainable income, navigating the challenge of working in a highly regulated environment. Initially, I designed a new commercial strategy, and subsequently I have led on its implementation. This was a new activity, adding a fresh, innovative and entrepreneurial perspective to its existing regulated service delivery culture. Selected Achievements: • Designed an implementable value creation strategy which identified commercial opportunities and planned means to transform the people, culture and quality of delivery to achieve them, changing a reliance on the security of regulated income. • Analysed Kelda’s many possibilities, before focussing on the exploitation of physical assets, with commercialisation funded by the release of resources following business process outsourcing. • Grew non regulated income. • Generated £10m from asset disposal, empowering Kelda’s culture and people to deliver this, while identifying a pipeline of a further £15m for the coming year. • Delivered a sustainable increase in Kelda’s capability by merging the Property and Facilities functions. • Created business cases for transformations in the commercial activity of areas which will be become core to Kelda’s profitability, including renewable energy, property development, leisure services, water and waste processing, and facilities management.”
Planet U LtdInterim Managing Director
Apr. 2021 - Jul. 2021Leeds, England, United KingdomThis was a short term assignment to assess the possibility of this green energy B2B re-seller securing £8m in Private Equity funding, and to assess a number of expansion-enabling disposal opportunities. I also assessed the skills of the existing team and designed a development plan to enable the firm to scale-up if this financing was realised
Albert Bartlett & Sons LimitedManaging Director - International Group Portfolio
Jan. 2019 - Apr. 2021Airdrie, Scotland, United Kingdom · HybridMy role for this iconic family owned food producer and distributor was to solve a long running strategic challenge, to decide the future of its international businesses (the Middle East, Canada and the United States). A major part of the brand’s history and profile, but consistently had performance issues, I was tasked with finding a more sustainable future for them, either inside or outside of the company, in a way that added the most value to it. I also led several programmes in the UK which added value to the business’ sustainability and bottom line. Selected Achievements: • Swiftly appraised the challenges faced by the international businesses and solved several of their key commercial challenges, including securing and managing contracts with the largest global food distributor in North America. • Increased the value of the US business to improve Albert Bartlett’s strategic options by developing supply relationships with Walmart, Trader Joe’s, Costco and Whole Foods. • Delivered due diligence on the strength of the team, their commercial relationships, supply chain and their market position of the international businesses before presenting options to the Board. • Successfully advocated a managed exit for the parent company, combining investment and the development of partnerships with the creation of a franchised brand, while ending day-to-day responsibility.
For the core UK business: o Grew operating margin during the COVID-19 pandemic by more than a third (to 5.7%) by creating and delivering a new fast food brand, a new B2C development for the firm.
o Realised 22% savings on the firm’s property leases after a review. o Expanded revenue by £1.5m by expanding into infant nutrition and fast food, completing two acquisitions (one from administration) and a balance sheet restructure.
o Deepened customer relationships and built long term value with an innovative digital loyalty strategy for the firm’s B2C units.
Farmcare Trading Ltd Part of The Wellcome TrustChief Executive
Jul. 2014 - Jan. 2019London, England, United Kingdom · HybridThis was a business transformation role. Farmcare is the largest lowland farming organisation in the UK, with 18,000 acres under stewardship. It works with leading farming contractors across the UK to grow arable crops and vegetables for the food service, retail and trade sectors. Purchased in 2014 from the Co-operative Group, it is owned by the Wellcome Trust, a funder of health research and the world’s fourth largest charitable investment foundation.
Farmcare has assets of £1.7bn and a turnover of £500m. As its first CEO, I directly led 900 colleagues. Selected Achievements • Created a strategy to de-risk Farmcare’s initial burning platform, that 80% of its income came from previous owner Co-op and would cease after two years. • Built a new leadership team with the market facing skills the business needed, leading to contracts with four FTSE100 food retailers, and an expansion into food services and retail. • Successfully sought new revenue and reduced costs to secure the business’ future once the Co-Op supply agreement ceased, improving returns by £24m. • Delivered a £1m IT and finance digitalisation strategy which enhanced both remote and team working. • Released value by disposing of part of the business to UK supermarket chain Morrisons, having first built a partnership with them (worth £275m) . • Started and successfully delivered several new ventures from property development (raising £38m) to dairy farming, and generating £1m p/a through a mineral extraction partnership.
The Co-operative GroupManaging Director, Farmcare Ltd (The Co-op)
Dec. 2012 - Jul. 2014Manchester, United Kingdom · HybridWith Co-op Group facing an existential crisis due to the near failure of its Banking Division, my role was to swiftly devise and implement a strategy to realise the maximum value from Farmcare from a disposal. I sold Farmcare for £247m. Selected Achievements: • Successfully retained staff and a high level of performance during a very public, heavily media scrutinised sales process, essential to preserve the maximum value of the asset. • Delivered essential pre-sale reforms including a new TOM with new roles affecting 650 staff, and competing full regulatory and compliance reviews with no issues raised. • Analysed the various disposal options open to Co-Op, including selling separate parts of the business to different purchasers, or seeking one buyer for the entire company as a going concern. • Identified the Wellcome Trust as the preferred buyer for all of Farmcare. • Led the programme to separate Farmcare from the Co-op as a separate legal entity and manage its sale to the Wellcome Trust, requiring 18 different levels of Board and business approval, at a highly sensitive time for the Group. • Led the transition to new ownership with no loss of output and maintaining budget performance.”
The Co-operative GroupHead Of Strategy
Mar. 2012 - Jan. 2013Manchester, United Kingdom
The Co-operative GroupCommercial Manager - Retail Operations
Dec. 2009 - May. 2012Leadership of Change
Management of Operational resource to enhance business profit.
Expertise in Retail Operations, Supply Chain, Manufacturing
Responsible across Food Retail business for Loss Prevention, Inventory, Operations Management Information, Non-Food Commercial Operations & Concessions
Acquisitions & Disposals
P&L Accountability
Business wide interaction & engagement
VariousVarious Operational & Commercial Retail Management Roles
Mar. 2000 - Sep. 2008Various UK roles including Kent, Northern Ireland, WalesRange of business sectors - Financial Services, Travel, Non-Food, Retail Distribution.
Strategy Development
Change & Business Integration Leadership
Improve Org Performance
Relationship and Stakeholder Management
Plan & Implement Retail Risk Strategy
Intch is a Professional Networking App for the Future of WorkSee more people like Richard on Intch
300k+ people
130+ countries
AI matching
Get Intch if you'd like to
72840 people
37
CEO/Founder @ IBench.net
24
CPO @ YouHodler
18
Founder, Managing Director and Chief Engineer @ Through Life Design Ltd
15731 people
16
Investments Advisor @ ESSO
18
Financial Consultant @ Standard capital corporation
16
Investor Relations Manager @ ExxonMobil Corp.