Experience

John Lewis & Partners

2021 - Current

Partner and Head of Sourcing - Fashion & Home

Built the UK Sourcing Team, covering Fashion & Home from concept to 11 partners, operating with accountability. I thrive on recruiting & developing their skills & capabilities. It’s important to ensure sufficient capability & resource exists in sourcing to deliver customer outcomes & business requirements.

Collaborating with the regional heads, we scope & set, the intent, direction & guardrails for the global sourcing strategy. I lead the UK Sourcing Team to achieve Partnership strategy outcomes by allocating Partners to support key outcomes - based on business priorities, skills and professional development opportunities.

Empowering & supporting Partners, through a team of managers to make decisions, and resolve sourcing challenges to improve results.

Creating & developing both the sourcing & commercial strategy for the Partnership to maximise commercial return from factory base during changing market conditions towards attaining optimum efficiency.

Identifying profit opportunities, supporting Commercial teams across all categories, with sourcing insights to drive maximum contributions to the Partnership’s gross margin whilst maintaining sustainability & compliance targets within the organisation.

Working closely with the Heads of E&S on responsible sourcing strategy & devising a plan to execute, track & measure delivery against ambitions.

I work alongside the Partnerships satellite sourcing offices in India & Hong Kong.
Leveraging insight and internal & external networks to keep abreast of key customer requirements, market conditions & trends, including technological advancements.

I have set-up a Near Shore sourcing solution from scratch, recruiting, building and developing the team, leading to increased sourcing availability & ability to trade for the partnership.

I am particularly adept at facilitating collaborative workflow practices between departments & smoothing out any bumps in the road.

I'm also working on an additional project to optimise the product development process to make the critical path more efficient.

Lipsy

2008 - 2017

Worked alongside the Lipsy Sourcing Director to assist and advise on factory and responsible regional sourcing for smaller quantity fast fashion buys. Covered woven and jersey substrates for Womenswear.

Analysed garment cross costings regionally and completed cost breakdowns to help consolidate buys and increase margin alongside creating working relationships between Lipsy UK and global offshore teams.

Debenhams

1999-2001

Based in the Philippines- Worked closely with design team supporting from a strategic fabric sourcing standpoint supplying Debenhams Womenswear with best selling polyester fleece tops and washed woven trousers manufactured in Sri Lanka.

Fabric routes streamlined and sourced from Korea, Taiwan, China and India.

Courtaulds

1998 - 1999

Based in Sri Lanka.

Part of the Senior Management Team establishing the Supply Chain for fabrics and other components to support the migration of Courtaulds garment manufacturing from the Uk to a new factory in Sri Lanka.

Identified and conducted due diligence and then recruited new suppliers for the company. Once established, managed the supplier network and coached all manufacturers to achieve accredited supplier status with M&S.

Responsible for the creation and maintenance of fabric quality systems in the factory and building a strong local Management Team to run day to day operations.

Responsible for recruiting and training staff in Sri Lanka, India, Hong Kong and China.

Supplying M&S and Victoria Secrets.

Clarks

1993 -1995

Supplied Clarks with soft footwear fabric from Europe and coverted in factories in the Rossendale Valley in Lancashire before moving offshore.

Managed the design team predicting trends and generating mood boards.

Presenting to and managing Clarks account in terms of design development including Mens, Womens and Childrens Doodles brand.