Richard Brentnall FCILT
COO | CSCO
Restoring Margin, Cash and Operational Performance Across Complex Multi-Market Businesses
FMCG, Retail & Consumer | 28 Markets | Transformation & Operating Model
EBITDA | Cash | Capital Allocation
Most enterprise performance issues do not begin with failure.
They begin with drift.
Margin compresses.
Cash becomes trapped.
Service becomes unstable under pressure.
KPIs can remain acceptable while underlying performance weakens.
By the time it is visible at board level, value has already moved.
Typically brought into these environments to restore control, realign operating models and stabilise margin, cash and operational performance.
Operating at COO / CSCO level across complex multi-market businesses, with direct accountability for performance recovery across cost, service and working capital.
Board and Executive Enquiries
If you’re operating in this space, I’m happy to connect.
richard@richardbrentnall.com
When I Get Called In
Brought in when performance pressure is visible, but the system driving it is not yet fully understood.
When:
Margin is tightening, but no single driver explains it
Cash is not converting despite stable or growing revenue
Service performance fluctuates, even though KPIs appear acceptable
Transformation programmes are active, but outcomes are not landing
The organisation is busy, but not aligned around enterprise priorities
These conditions rarely exist in isolation.
They are usually symptoms of misalignment between operating model, governance and capital allocation.
Left unresolved, they compound.
Recovery becomes slower, more expensive and more disruptive than it should be.
Enterprise Impact
£1.4bn P&L accountability across multi-site, multi-market operations
€68.7m productivity delivered across a €2.3bn supply chain, offsetting €85m inflation exposure
£16.4m structural cost reduction delivered within 9 months across a £169m logistics cost base
€980k EBITDA improvement delivered from €497k investment across €3bn+ operations
£80m+ enterprise value identified and unlocked across network optimisation, automation and operating model redesign
£12m annual structural cost removed through European network redesign
SAP ECC to S/4HANA governance across 28 markets, restoring delivery reliability to >95%
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
Removal of structural complexity 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.
Enterprise Leadership Philosophy
Enterprise performance rarely breaks because strategy is unclear.
It deteriorates when governance, operating discipline and capital allocation drift apart.
My work focuses on restoring alignment between these forces so performance becomes durable rather than episodic.
That is where I am typically brought in.
Published Work
The Illusion of Control
Why performance deteriorates before leaders recognise it
A perspective on governance, capital allocation and structural distance in complex organisations
Most organisations do not have a performance problem.
They have a system that no longer produces the outcomes they expect.