Chris Vescio

Commercially driven Supply Chain and Operations Director with full P&L accountability across manufacturing, warehousing, distribution, logistics, transportation, 3PL, demand and production planning, and customer service for a £2.7bn global business. Proven track record of end-to-end supply chain transformation, including a live SAP ECC-to-S/4HANA ERP migration alongside WMS (Warehouse Management System) and TMS (Transportation Management System) implementation, network optimisation, and automation. Skilled in building real-time, data-led operating models, restructuring carrier and 3PL partnerships, and driving cost reduction while improving service levels.

Leads demand planning and S&OP (Sales & Operations Planning) / IBP (Integrated Business Planning) cycles, having improved forecast accuracy from 75% to over 90% while providing resourcing resilience across 12 sites. Career spans FMCG, retail, logistics, parcels, and regulated medical device operations, combining commercial pace, stakeholder management, and change leadership with operational rigour. Comfortable operating at board and executive level and in the detail of a rate card, systems build, or forecast.

Director of Operations - Convatec - Europe and MEA

(2023-08)

Full P&L accountability for end-to-end supply chain operations across Europe and MEA — manufacturing, warehousing, distribution, transportation, inbound supply chain, final mile, and customer service — within a global network supporting a £2.7bn business (70% of total volume). Manages a heavily regulated, zero-tolerance medical device environment through strategic 3PL and carrier partnerships, serving direct-to-patient and distributor/wholesaler channels. Six direct reports.

• Engineered a streamlined, repeatable supply chain operating process delivering 95%+ service level at scale across 70% of total company volume.
• Scaled £700m of growth on-time-in-full, building the carrier network, capacity, and process discipline to absorb rapid volume increase without service disruption.
• Leading SAP ECC-to-S/4HANA ERP migration alongside WMS and TMS implementation, in budget and without service impact.
• Own day-to-day customs clearance and cross-border shipping compliance across Europe, the US, and Asia, managing duties, VAT, and documentation for regulated medical device shipments.
• Led renegotiation of parcel and last-mile carrier contracts, introducing bonus-malus agreements and tighter KPI governance, lifting service from 88% to 95%+ and growing direct-to-patient volume by 48% in one market via pre-noon next-day delivery.
• Rationalised a £15m, five-year carrier deal via upgraded business requirement documents (BRDs) and a parallel tender, improving service and reducing cost simultaneously.
• Led a full supply chain systems overhaul: real-time visibility and advanced WMS, with dashboards, simulation tools, and forecasting algorithms to 99.95% accuracy. Reduced CO2 emissions by 8,000 tonnes.
• Led demand and production planning teams using IBP to drive forecast accuracy from 75% to consistently over 90%, providing resourcing resilience across 12 sites while improving service and customer satisfaction.
• Introduced a weekly S&OP cycle, aligning commercial, planning, and operations teams around a single forecast and plan.
• Reduced replenishment and stock transfer lead times by 5 days, delivering a £1m inventory reduction across European markets without compromising delivery speed.
• Rewrote BRDs, SOPs, and SLAs from customer feedback, delivering a 6-point improvement in customer satisfaction.
• Eliminated 2.9 million units of unnecessary product labelling — an inherited, unchallenged process — for direct cost and complexity savings.
• Led crisis recovery at the business's first automated European site, restoring service within four weeks; subsequent RFP delivered two new commercial contracts and a £700k rate saving.

Head of Productivity - Morrisons - United Kingdom

(2021-02 - 2023-02)

National accountability for operational productivity across 500+ stores, 18 manufacturing sites, and 14 distribution depots.

• Implemented Microlise transport tracking across 32 sites, improving service from 94% to over 98%, cutting driver downtime by 20 minutes, and delivering a £407k saving.
• Introduced and partnered on a forecasting system achieving 99.95% accuracy, sharpening replenishment and resource planning across the network.
• Delivered WMS implementation across 14 sites, in budget and without service impact.
• Delivered shrink improvement across 14 depots and 500 stores, reducing stock write-downs from £52k to £11.5k per week.
• Moved Vehicle Maintenance Units to a 3PL partnership, unlocking a £1.3m saving across 14 sites.

Head of Operations – National - Morrisons - United Kingdom

(2019-09 - 2021-02)

Head of the warehouse and distribution network across 14 sites covering grocery, chill, frozen, e-commerce, and wholesale. P&L accountability of over £210m.

• Secured new business and led start-up resulting in £12.2m revenue; integrated systems to one platform, rationalising costs by £2.2m.
• Removed circa 51,000km from the road network, developing a new consolidation centre model.

Regional General Manager - Wincanton - United Kingdom

(2015-07 - 2019-09)

Responsible for a 1.1m sq ft distribution site leading 1,600 colleagues, serving 42 sites across the UK and Ireland. £48m budget, full P&L ownership.

• Rationalised costs by over £3m and improved productivity by 21%; secured a new account generating £750k revenue.
• Negotiated a new site working agreement in a volatile, unionised environment where six previous managers had failed.

General Manager - Poundland - United Kingdom

(2013-06 - 2015-07)

Operations for the South region: 500 FTE, 750k sq ft. Focus on e-commerce growth, new site development, and cost efficiency.

• Launched and scaled a new e-commerce operation to 1 million cases per week across the UK and Europe; delivered a new purpose-built site on time and within budget.

Group General Manager - Eden Farm - United Kingdom

(2012-01 - 2013-06)

P&L for a national logistics group with £50m turnover, 7 sites, transport operations, and 24 sales professionals.

• Secured £1.8m new revenue, rationalised group costs by £1.2m, negotiated procurement deals saving 35%, and turned a loss-making business into profit.

Regional General Manager - DHL - United Kingdom

(2006-08 - 2012-01)

Three distribution centres, 14 key client relationships. E-commerce and P&L accountability.

• Delivered WMS and TMS implementation, including Oracle, in budget and without service impact.
• Grew bottom-line profit margin by 33% through new business and SLA agreements, leading culture change while maintaining consistently high service.

Senior Manager – Transport & Supply Chain - Asda - United Kingdom

(2001-09 - 2006-08)

Graduate scheme through to Senior Manager, covering transport, warehouse, supply chain, and planning nationally.

• Led the opening of a new purpose-built distribution centre; implemented a new imports model saving £1m+ and tendered transport business saving £130k.

BA Honours - Business Management Studies - Lancaster University (1998 - 2001)