Product instinct.
Commercial rigour.
Leadership at scale.
Three decades of experience across product, sourcing, international manufacturing and retail leadership, combining creativity with the technical and commercial discipline needed to deliver sustainable business performance.
Product has always been where I start.
I have always had a strong instinct for product. I understand what makes something feel right for the customer, but I also understand everything that has to sit behind that product to make it commercially successful.
My career has taken me from textile technology and manufacturing, through more than two decades at Next, to senior sourcing, commercial and international leadership roles.
That breadth has shaped the way I lead.
I believe creativity works best when there is strong structure underneath it. Clear processes, good information and disciplined decision-making don't restrict creativity. They create the conditions for designers, buyers and product teams to do their best work.
One ecosystem.
Having worked on both sides of the table, for retailers and within international manufacturing, I don't see retailers and suppliers as two separate worlds.
I see one ecosystem, connected by the same ultimate goal: creating the best possible product for the customer.
When retailers and suppliers work together properly, businesses can become leaner, innovation moves faster and ideas from the supply base can reach the customer more quickly.
The best supplier relationships are not simply about negotiation. They bring product knowledge, innovation, resilience and competitive advantage.
Product instinct
An instinctive understanding of product, customer and commercial opportunity.
Commercial rigour
Technical understanding, process and commercial discipline behind creative decision-making.
People
Collaborative and authentic leadership, building strong teams and developing people to do their best work.
Resilience
Creating the structure, partnerships and visibility that allow businesses to manage risk, respond quickly and pivot when circumstances change.
Experience at scale
30+ Years
Product, sourcing, manufacturing and retail.
£408m
Scale of own-brand sourcing responsibility.
£20m
Commercial value delivered.
GLOBAL
Leadership experience: UK, Europe and Asia.
I still love product.
After three decades, I still get a buzz from seeing a product go from an idea, through design and development, into production and ultimately into the hands of a customer.
Because ultimately, that is what all the strategy, sourcing, process and commercial decision-making is there to enable.
Product can make someone's life a little easier, make them feel better, make their home better or simply give them pleasure.
That is why I still take product personally.
Brands Nicola has worked with
Perspectives
I write about product, sourcing, sustainability and leadership, and about the decisions behind successful retail businesses.
I’m particularly interested in where traditional boundaries are changing: where product meets commercial strategy, where suppliers become innovation partners, where sustainability becomes part of better business, and where technology makes human judgement more, not less, important.