Chris Culshaw

Fractional and interim technology leader for multi-site, acquisitive and scaling businesses. Four years of Board accountability for Digital, IT & Data; seven acquisitions integrated across three groups; four major ERP platforms led to go-live. Board-level strategy with the technical credibility to challenge architecture, delivery and suppliers.

Director, Technology & Transformation at Culshaw Consulting Ltd (2026-01 – Present)

Fractional, interim and Board-level technology advisory.

• Fractional technology leadership — ERP, operating models, supplier commercials, manufacturing technology, data and AI-enabled improvement.
• Current technology judgement — Created commercial digital products including HiveKeeper, SwarmLine and CropSpray.farm, applying cloud, data and AI to real customer problems.

Head of Digital & IT at Cambridge Nutritional Foods / The 1:1 Diet (2022-01 – 2026-01)

Board responsibility for Digital, IT & Data.

• Rescued a £1m transformation — Inherited a stalled programme with costs absorbed into other departments' budgets. Rebuilt the business case with full cost visibility, reset scope, governance and supplier commercials, and removed ~45% from forecast cost.
• Replaced the core platform — Replaced an unsupported on-premise IFS estate with D365 Business Central for 150 users, delivered on time and on budget, extending into manufacturing MES and API integration.
• Rebuilt the commercial digital estate — Gave the business visibility of orders and demand for the first time: eCommerce, Salesforce and HubSpot connected through to demand planning, manufacturing and supply chain, with finance the biggest beneficiary.
• Cut Board reporting from a week to hours — Replaced a manual manager-to-head-of-department-to-director consolidation cycle with governed self-serve reporting on a Microsoft data lake and Power BI.
• Raised the security floor — Achieved Cyber Essentials Plus certification and introduced ISO 27001-aligned controls with clearer outsourced-partner accountability.

Head of IT, UK & Ireland at Baxi / BDR Thermea (2021-01 – 2022-01)

£12.8m technology budget; 30+ team; global heating group.

• Led the function — Applications, infrastructure, service, cyber and change across manufacturing, distribution and field service.
• Balanced global and local — Aligned UK&I investment with Group technology strategy while protecting local commercial priorities.
• Reset accountability — Strengthened operating model, suppliers, resilience and service governance; achieved Cyber Essentials Plus certification in year one.

Senior IT & Transformation Roles at AB Agri / Associated British Foods (2016-01 – 2021-01)

15 businesses, ~20 sites and five acquisitions in five years.

• Integrated five acquisitions — Aligned systems, suppliers and operating models while maintaining business continuity.
• Led enterprise change — SAP S/4HANA, Dynamics 365, IFS, CRM, data, integration and automation.
• Created common direction — Established roadmaps and governance across autonomous businesses.

Head of IT at Linx Printing Technologies / Danaher (2013-01 – 2016-01)

£90m international manufacturing and technology business; senior management team.

• Owned technology direction — IT strategy, service delivery, investment, business systems and strategic supplier contracts.
• Supported growth — Integrated acquisitions and applied the Danaher Business System to continuous improvement.

Operations & Technical Director at eSight Energy (2010-01 – 2013-01)

Board director in a B2B SaaS energy-management software business.

• Ran product engineering — Led an eight-person in-house development team, offshore resource and technical operations behind the platform.
• Connected roadmap to revenue — Balanced product development, enterprise customer needs, service performance and commercial priorities.
• Protected customer value — Supported ~98% customer renewal through reliable delivery and strong client relationships.

Head of IT at Xaar (2006-01 – 2010-01)

International technology and manufacturing organisation.

• Led core technology — IT operations, infrastructure and business systems supporting growth and acquisition integration.

Director, IT & Quality Systems at Smart Holograms

Network Manager at Amedis Pharmaceuticals

Project Manager at BAE Systems

HND in Computing