Executive Profile

Richard Brentnall FCILT
COO | CSCO
Author of The Illusion of Control

COO / CSCO operating across FMCG, retail and consumer businesses, deployed into complex, underperforming or high-pressure environments where margin, cash and operational performance are at risk.

Operating at Group and Board level across organisations ranging from £200m to £10bn, with accountability spanning cost, service, working capital and enterprise performance across multi-market platforms (up to 28 markets).

Holds £1.4bn P&L and working capital accountability, working directly with CEOs, boards, investors and lenders during periods of transformation, stabilisation and structural change.

Typically brought in where performance is drifting, cost pressure is accelerating or transformation is failing to convert into measurable outcomes.

Focus is on restoring control, aligning operating models and ensuring execution holds under pressure across cost, service and working capital.

Enterprise Impact

  • £80m+ enterprise value identified and unlocked through operating model redesign, network optimisation and automation

  • £16.4m structural cost reduction delivered, restoring margin integrity, cash discipline and operational performance

  • £12m annual duty exposure removed through European network redesign, improving resilience and balance sheet strength

  • SAP ECC to S/4HANA governance across 28 markets, restoring delivery reliability to >95% and improving decision control

Where I’m Typically Deployed

Typically deployed in situations where:

  • Margin is tightening without a clear driver

  • Cash is not converting despite stable revenue

  • Service performance is inconsistent under pressure

  • Transformation programmes are active but not delivering outcomes

  • Complexity across markets is slowing execution

These conditions are typically symptoms of misalignment between operating model, governance and capital allocation.

Left unresolved, they compound and begin to impact EBITDA, cash generation and enterprise value.

How Performance is Restored

Performance does not improve through activity.
It improves when the system that drives it is reset.

That typically requires:

  • Clear decision ownership across cost, service and working capital

  • Operating models aligned to a single economic reality

  • Structural complexity removed across markets and functions

  • Governance that ensures decisions hold under pressure

  • Visibility that allows performance to be managed, not reported

This is where performance stabilises.
This is where margin and cash begin to recover.

Selected Career Trajectory

Group Logistics Director – Nomad Foods

Head of Network Strategy – Marks & Spencer

Head of European Supply Chain – Clarks

Head of Supply Chain – The Entertainer

Acting COO-Level Turnaround – Palmer & Harvey

Enterprise Systems, Technology & Governance

  • Enterprise ERP governance across SAP ECC to S/4HANA

  • Cross-market visibility and control tower deployment

  • Integrated planning, forecasting and inventory optimisation

  • Automation and network modernisation across warehousing and transport

Executive Materials

Executive Operating Summary (PDF)

Prepared for board, investor and executive search discussions.