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Davies & Robson identifies and assesses senior supply chain and logistics leaders for businesses ranging from growing and private equity-backed companies to established UK and international groups.
Combining logistics consultancy knowledge with executive search experience, we help define what the appointment needs to achieve and identify individuals with the experience, judgement and management capability to deliver.
A senior appointment is an opportunity to consider what the business needs from its supply chain leadership. Growth, changing customer requirements or investment in systems and infrastructure may call for a different remit from the one that has served the business to date.
We work with you to understand the operation, the business plan and the existing management team. This provides the basis for a clear brief, realistic expectations and a search focused on the capabilities that matter.
The balance between immediate priorities in the first one to three months, medium-term development and building capability over the next one to three years will influence the leadership profile required.
In mid-sized businesses especially, a role may combine substantial day-to-day management with occasional demands for much higher-level strategic or specialist expertise. Setting a salary between the two does not necessarily resolve the mismatch: an appointee may find the routine responsibilities insufficiently challenging yet lack the experience for the most demanding decisions.
We help distinguish the core permanent requirement from needs better met through occasional consultancy or interim support. An annual review of logistics strategy, or specialist help with a change or improvement project, can provide the additional capability without overextending the permanent role.
A final positioning check: Before going to market, we ask what the individual we hope to appoint is doing today, and why this role would appeal to them. A convincing answer to both is essential to a credible brief and a successful search.
The same job title can describe very different responsibilities. We consider five aspects of the role to determine the appropriate level, breadth of experience and specialist knowledge.
The ability to establish reliable performance, maintain service and manage productivity, stock and cost. The emphasis will depend on the condition of the operation and the strength of its existing controls.
Experience of the complexity the business is moving towards, alongside a willingness to work with its current resources. This may include additional sites, higher volumes, new channels or a broader geographic reach.
The judgement to connect systems, automation and process investment with operational requirements, and the ability to lead people through implementation and changing ways of working.
An understanding of how customer commitments, inventory, supplier arrangements and distribution decisions affect margin, working capital and service.
The ability to organise responsibilities, develop managers and establish clear accountability. The leadership style must suit the business and complement the wider senior team.
Together, these considerations establish whether the requirement is for a broad functional leader, a specialist or an individual capable of combining both.
Senior supply chain responsibilities increasingly extend beyond warehousing and transport. Planning, inventory, technology and customer service may sit within the same remit, with decisions influencing both commercial performance and the business's capacity to grow.
The leadership requirement varies with the organisation. A group or divisional role may call for experience across sites, countries and management layers; a mid-sized business may need a leader who combines operational involvement with a direct contribution to board-level decisions. In either setting, the remit, resources and decision-making authority need to be understood.
Assessment therefore needs to establish what a candidate has personally delivered, the circumstances in which they delivered it and how relevant that experience is to the proposed role. The scale of a previous employer or breadth of a CV provides only part of the picture.
A credible appointment also depends on a clear proposition for the candidate: the challenge, authority, investment and support available to make the role a success.
Related insight: The Leadership Shift Required at £75m+: From Day-to-Day Management to Scalable Control
We establish the business priorities, operational challenges and management context. From this, we agree the remit, candidate profile and criteria against which potential appointees will be assessed.
Research identifies relevant organisations and individuals, supported by our established industry network and referrals. Candidates are approached with a considered explanation of the opportunity, including those who are not actively seeking a move.
Structured interviews examine technical experience, personal contribution, leadership and motivation. We present a considered shortlist, support the interview process and assist through offer discussions and the successful candidate's transition into the role.
Our searches cover group, divisional and business-level appointments, including director, head-of-function and senior operational roles. Depending on the business, the remit may combine supply chain, logistics, distribution, operations and responsibility for transformation.
Rapid European growth created a requirement for leadership across logistics operations and strategy. An approaching trading peak and systems implementation made relevant experience particularly important. Davies & Robson identified and appointed a candidate with senior multichannel retail logistics experience.
Sustained growth and complex international product flows required a new board-level supply chain appointment. The search called for specialist experience, independent assessment and close attention to cultural fit. Davies & Robson managed the process through to a successful appointment.
The appointment for a principal ambient distribution site needed to support both operational requirements and the division's longer-term management development. Initial advice on candidate availability informed the brief, followed by targeted search and assessment against the role and business culture.
An external appointment may form part of a wider review of leadership responsibilities and future capability.
We help businesses consider management structure, assess existing capability and identify development and succession requirements. This can clarify where an external appointment will add value and where existing managers can prepare for broader responsibilities.
Where specialist demands are intermittent, consultancy can provide a periodic review of logistics strategy, while interim support can lead a defined change or improvement project alongside the permanent team.
Where a transition creates an immediate management requirement, our Interim & Project Management service can provide continuity or support a defined programme of change.
Whether you have an established vacancy or are considering how your leadership requirements may change, we welcome an initial, confidential discussion.
Speak to us about the business, the appointment and what you need it to achieve.
Discuss a senior appointmentTelephone: +44 (0)1327 220862
