Business Strategy Development: Entry into a new customer sector for a Functional Ingredients business.  

I created the opportunities for the management team to “take a step back”, to think about their business differently.  From my knowledge and experience, I brought insights in terms of:

• market practices
• technical & quality challenges
• different operational models 
• trends related to consumer and legislation
• competition landscape
• supply chain challenges and opportunities
• end customers’ perception of risks and approach to risk management
• buyers’ motivations
• prior experience in brokering long term ventures

I worked with them to develop an understanding of the value chain of the customer. We critically evaluated the perceived risks and benefits corresponding to activities along the supply chain.  Assessed the company’s expertise and capabilities in the context of evolving industry trends. We looked at models from other industries as stimuli for inspiration. Together, we identified the part of the value chain for my client to focus their effort to differentiate themselves as a credible new entrant to the sector.

Business Strategy Development: Benchmark vs competition to identify the right commercial space to command the right premium for a Dairy Ingredients business.  

The project had the following steps:

• Prepared in advance a competitor mapping to facilitate discussion.
• Shared high level overview of key players on Supply and Demand side.
• Diagnostics of current business situation.
• Identified key strengths and weaknesses of client company versus competitors in the relevant product groups.
• Aligned ambition in the context of the evolving competitive landscape.
• Outlined client’s competitive edge to tackle the “target market”.

I worked with key members of the management team using engaging questions and thought-provoking dialogue. We connected individual’s reflection and insight, and built it into a group vision. In the context of the end customer industry, we  identified the “sweet spot” for the client business and created an aligned team ambition to win on it.

Strategic Sourcing: Engage stakeholders to create the first global category sourcing playbook – Unlocking opportunities to enhance competitive edge.

An FMCG client acquired a nutritional business to broaden their consumer healthcare footprint and drive business growth worldwide. The immediate focus was for procurement team to identify and unlock synergy savings throughout the business.  I was invited to lead a project in engaging cross-functional stakeholders to create a holistic global sourcing playbook. The objective was to have a strategic roadmap to drive cost optimisation and enhance competitive edge to support the medium term business goals. Taking care of the post-acquisition sensitivities, in the midst of organisational flux, my industry knowledge and business perspective served to expand the thinking for the newly formed global category sourcing team. On top of resulting  a comprehensive playbook to be proud of, the team members have found this a rewarding learning experience.

Key elements of the global sourcing playbook include:

• Category diagnostics in business context
• High level benchmark vs competition
• Recommendation on 6 value levers to support business growth agenda
• Cost optimisation roadmap to generate productivity > 10% annual spend
• “Fit for Future” supplier base vision
• SRM strategies for top suppliers
• Global sourcing strategy with medium term action plans for each of the sub-categories

This timely strategy work provided a clear direction to effectively mobilise business resources necessary for the recommended work streams. This has ensured delivery of tangible business benefits within the medium term horizon.
As the growth agenda kicked in, anticipated supply shortages of critical ingredients became the top priority for the team to tackle. I also played the role of a thinking partner for the client team in the tough negotiations and supply challenges experienced during this period.

Strategic relationship management: Create a pragmatic framework to set a long term commercial partnership on a productive track.  

The client, as a manufacturer, had entered into a sole agent agreement for the marketing and sales of their products from a brand new facility.  After the commissioning phase of the new production line, it was the moment to progress the relationship with their partner to a more strategic business dialogue. 

At the setting of an interactive workshop, I worked with the whole business team to capture feedback and aspiration of the partnership. Using a relationship management model, the team envisaged what a successful partnership would look like.  We took care to articulate and record the expectation each member had of their counterpart. From the rich output collected, I designed a relationship engagement plan for the business team to be equipped in managing the partnership on a proactive strategic footing.

Key levers of the relationship engagement plan included:

• Design a joint “Go to Market” strategy.
• Agree key account plans for end customers.
• Conduct formal performance reviews.
• Formalise priority setting for New Product Development activities.