Richard Brentnall FCILT
Group Operations & Supply Chain Director
Restoring Margin, Cash and Execution Across Complex Operations
FMCG, Retail & Consumer | Transformation & Operating Model | 28 Markets
EBITDA Recovery | Cash Flow | Capital Discipline
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.
I am typically asked to step into these environments to restore clarity, realign operating models and re-establish control across cost, service and working capital performance.
Operating at Group Director and acting COO level across complex, multi-market environments, I focus on improving EBITDA durability, cash velocity and execution reliability.
Board and Executive Enquiries
richard@richardbrentnall.com
When I Get Called In
I am typically engaged 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 creation roadmap 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%
Enterprise Transformation Architecture
Enterprise transformation is rarely a single programme.
It is the mechanism through which margin, cash flow and execution are structurally recovered.
My work is typically delivered through 5 pillars:
Operating Model Reset
Restoring execution discipline and structural clarity across complex multi-market environments.
Network and Cost Architecture
Redesigning logistics and manufacturing flows to improve margin resilience, cost transparency and capital efficiency.
Supplier and Commercial Discipline
Strengthening supplier governance, commercial transparency and strategic partnership models.
Cross Border and Trade Control
Reducing structural exposure through stronger customs governance, compliance and duty visibility.
Enterprise Visibility and Control
Deploying control tower architecture and governance cadence to improve decision clarity across complex international platforms.
These interventions rebuild the operating system that determines enterprise performance.
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 operate.
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.