David Longhurst

Commercially driven Retail & Operations Director with a strong track record of delivering revenue growth, operational improvement, customer experience enhancement, and multi-site performance across retail and customer-facing environments. Experienced leading large operational teams across 20+ locations and 350+ staff, with accountability for commercial performance, operational delivery, workforce planning, and customer engagement. Proven ability to improve profitability, drive operational consistency, and build high-performing teams through structured leadership, KPI governance, and performance management frameworks.

Recognised for combining hands-on operational leadership with strategic commercial thinking to deliver measurable business outcomes including 63% revenue growth, 36% increase in customer footfall, 20% productivity improvement, and £1.4m+ annual profit delivery.

Director of Operations & Engagement - Cambridge Science Centre

(2025-01)

Lead operational and commercial performance across customer-facing environments, with responsibility for growth strategy, retail operations, workforce planning, customer experience, and operational delivery.

• Delivered a 36% increase in footfall and 63% revenue growth through operational restructuring, improved retail proposition, and enhanced customer engagement initiatives.
• Developed and implemented a five-year operational strategy aligned to commercial growth and expansion objectives.
• Leading operational planning for three new sites, ensuring scalable retail and operational models.
• Restructured retail operations and product strategy to improve customer spend and commercial performance.
• Introduced KPI dashboards and reporting frameworks to improve operational visibility, accountability, and decision-making.
• Strengthened workforce planning and operational consistency across multiple customer-facing locations.

Head of Performance - Ingeus

(2021-01 - 2025-01)

Led operational performance strategy across 20 multi-site locations and 350+ staff, driving productivity, operational consistency, leadership capability, and performance improvement.

• Designed and implemented structured KPI and performance frameworks, increasing productivity by 20%.
• Improved individual employee performance by 35% through targeted coaching, leadership support, and accountability reviews.
• Reduced performance review administration time by 30% through streamlined reporting and operational processes.
• Built and expanded the Performance Coach function from 4 to 10 team members, strengthening organisational capability.
• Developed behavioural science programmes to improve engagement, customer interaction, and operational outcomes.
• Introduced governance and accountability structures to improve consistency across multi-site teams.

Area Support Manager - B&M

(2020-01 - 2021-01)

Supported operational and commercial performance across multiple retail stores, focusing on sales growth, operational standards, customer experience, and team performance.

• Delivered 15% regional sales growth through improved merchandising standards, operational execution, and leadership support.
• Increased customer satisfaction by 25% through service improvements and operational consistency initiatives.
• Reduced operational costs by 10% through stronger operational controls and process improvements.
• Supported full store opening projects, ensuring operational readiness, commercial setup, and team capability.

Store Manager - Wilko

(2016-01 - 2020-01)

Full accountability for store operations including P&L performance, workforce leadership, customer experience, operational delivery, and commercial performance.

• Delivered £1.4m+ annual profit, ranking within the top 25 stores nationally.
• Increased sales by 20% through improved merchandising, operational standards, and team performance.
• Improved staff retention by 30% through leadership development, engagement, and coaching initiatives.
• Led a successful store turnaround and refurbishment project, improving customer experience and operational performance.
• Delivered full store opening, overseeing operational setup, team recruitment, merchandising, and launch execution.

Behavioural Science Foundation (2024-01 - 2024-01)

IEP Level 2 (2023-01 - 2023-01)

Motivational Interviewing (2020-01 - 2025-01)