I understand product from the factory floor to the boardroom.
My career has always sat at the intersection of creativity and commercial reality.
I trained in textiles at MSc level, combining creative development with a strong technical understanding of how product is made. It was the beginning of a career that has taken me from British textile manufacturing to Asia Pacific, global sourcing, product development and senior commercial leadership.
Over more than three decades, I've worked across almost every part of the product ecosystem. I've built manufacturing capability, sourcing functions and product teams; worked alongside designers, buyers, merchandisers and technologists; lived and worked internationally; and experienced the relationship between retailer and supplier from both sides.
That breadth shapes the way I think and the way I lead.
I Build Things
Looking back, there is a clear thread running through my career. I've repeatedly found myself in roles where something needed to be created, changed or scaled.
Early in my career, I relocated to Sri Lanka to help establish a new manufacturing operation, building technical capability and developing a team to take it forward.
At Next, I moved from global fabric sourcing to Hong Kong, where I established product development within the sourcing office. I later returned to the UK as one of three people who established Next Sourcing UK.
After 21 years at Next, I joined John Lewis to build its UK global sourcing capability across Fashion and Home. I created a new team of 12, working across £408m of own-brand cost of goods, and left five years later with a fully formed function in place.
Today, I am back on the manufacturing side of the industry, establishing a UK presence and team for Bhartiya International and bringing the commercial perspective of the retailer directly into the supply side.
What connects all of those experiences isn't simply sourcing. It's building capability, developing people and creating the structure that enables businesses to grow.
Big Ideas, Real Impact.
Having worked on both sides of the table, I don't really see retailers and suppliers as two separate worlds.
I see one product ecosystem.
I understand the pressures facing buying and product teams because I've lived them: product, margin, critical path, speed and an increasingly unpredictable market. I also understand sourcing strategy and how it needs to align with the wider commercial strategy of a business.
And because I've worked within manufacturing, I understand what sits on the other side of those decisions too.
The strongest businesses bring those perspectives closer together. When retailers and suppliers share knowledge, innovation can move faster, risk can be managed earlier and better product can reach the customer more efficiently.
For me, supplier relationships are not simply transactional. At their best, they are a source of product knowledge, innovation, resilience and competitive advantage.
Breadth creates better judgement.
I've deliberately moved across disciplines throughout my career.
I'm not a designer, buyer, merchandiser or technologist. But I understand each discipline and, importantly, I understand how they connect.
I can understand the creative intent of a designer, the technical challenge behind a product, the commercial and margin pressures facing a buyer, the implications of sourcing decisions and the realities facing the supplier expected to deliver it.
That breadth has made me a better sourcing and commercial leader.
Leadership at this level isn't about being the deepest specialist in every subject. It's about knowing enough to ask the right questions, bringing the right people together and having the judgement to make decisions that are right for the whole business.
Creating the conditions for creativity.
I believe in structure, but not bureaucracy.
Good process should create clarity, remove unnecessary work and give people the freedom to concentrate on what they do best.
That's particularly important in product businesses. Creativity needs room to breathe, but it also needs strong commercial and technical foundations underneath it.
My leadership style is collaborative and authentic. I enjoy building teams, developing people and creating an environment where different disciplines can challenge each other and do their best work.
For me, commercial rigour and creativity aren't opposing forces. The best businesses need both.
Looking forward.
The industry I've worked in for more than three decades bears little resemblance to the one I entered.
Supply chains have globalised. Technology has transformed how we work. Sustainability has moved from the margins towards the centre of business strategy. Geopolitical uncertainty and changing consumer behaviour mean businesses need to understand risk and be able to pivot more quickly than ever.
And AI is changing the conversation again.
I find that exciting.
Because while the tools and the landscape will continue to change, the need for judgement doesn't disappear.
Understanding the customer. Recognising good product. Knowing when to challenge the data. Understanding where risk really sits. Building relationships. Developing people. And ultimately making the right decision when there isn't a perfect answer.
Those are the things I believe will matter even more in the future.