Operations Director (Interim role) at Galeta Bakery (2026-01 – Present)
Full operational accountability for site-production, technical, engineering, logistics and distribution-leading 24/7 business operations and building the operating platform for the next phase of company growth.
- Increased site capacity and output by 35% of turnover through capacity planning, a rebuilt production schedule and accommodating previously outsourced work in house.
- Saved around £280K in annualised procurement spend by renegotiating ingredient and packaging pricing and consolidating the supplier base.
- Secured additional customers for the company by overhauling the QMS and technical documentation and passing third-party audits to the highest standards, unlocking listings the site could not previously service.
- Improved production OTIF achieving 99.2% OTIFF.
- Designed and deployed the company's first Management Information System, giving real-time visibility of output, yield, labour hours, waste and throughput by line and by shift.
- Built a complete SOP and process-flow library covering every product and process, making the site repeatable, trainable and audit-ready at any time.
- Partnered with NPD, commercial and supply chain to industrialise 10 new products in 5 months, aligning capacity and capability with the growth plan.
- Championed continuous improvement using shop-floor data and yield tracking, reducing production waste to less than 1.3% saving around £119k improving yield by 0.7% on core lines and increasing throughput without additional headcount.
Head of Production and Site Operations at The Bread Factory (GAIL's Bakery) (2024-09 – 2026-01)
Full operational accountability for six production factories, 18 lines, 550+ staff and £72M annual production value.
- Increased site capacity by 8% through strategic realignment of site-wide production operations, unlocking volume without capital expenditure.
- Delivered £90K (6%) in material variance savings within seven months by introducing tighter process controls and a structured waste-minimisation programme.
- Reduced labour spend by 1.35% across all production areas, and built a factory-wide labour plan delivering £250K in annualised savings, with no loss of throughput or service performance.
- Cut operating costs by 1.7% via new inventory and overheads controls that eliminated double handling.
- Regained BRC Grade A certification for the site by rebuilding food safety culture and embedding accountability across cross-functional production teams.
- Directing capital and improvement projects across facility layout, equipment upgrades and process re-engineering.
- Building a flexible, multi-skilled workforce through tailored development plans and a continuous learning environment.
Head of Operations and Technical at Maroush Group (2021-09 – 2024-08)
Site leader for a multi-category high-risk / high-care facility (butchery, ready meals, bakery, pastry, dips, fresh juices, fruit & veg) through a period of accelerated growth. Full P&L ownership across production, technical, hygiene, maintenance, warehouse, logistics and supply chain.
- Prepared and led the site through its initial BRC assessment, building the food safety management system and a robust QMS from the ground up.
- Implemented a production ERP system, giving the business true visibility of cost for the first time and saving thousands of pounds across operations.
- Delivered £220K in annualised labour savings through a purpose-built factory labour plan.
- Designed and implemented the site's lean operating model—industrial-standard processes, KPI frameworks, targets, budgets and reporting across every department.
- Built the factory management structure from scratch, recruiting department managers and supervisors, authoring SOPs, technical policies and procedures, and shifting operational mindset toward accountability.
- Delivered CAPEX projects as Black Belt lead, reducing process time and increasing flexibility to demand planning and NPD.
- Owned third-party accreditation and audit readiness: BRC, retailer QMS and Codes of Practice, FSA, RPA, EHO and HSE.
- Established a visible Health & Safety culture and led the site contingency and resilience plan.
Senior Manufacturing Manager / New Site Manager at Montana Bakery (Dr. Oetker Group) (2017-11 – 2021-08)
Led manufacturing for a bakery and chilled high-risk facility to BRC and major retailer standards, including the design and start-up of a new site.
- Secured initial BRC and retailer accreditation for the new site, planning every operational aspect from a standing start.
- Delivered £140K in annualised labour savings and sustained waste reduction as owner of the site Continuous Improvement agenda.
- Built the new facility from project stage, creating the production layout around Lean principles and managing European contractors and equipment suppliers through installation, commissioning, maintenance scheduling and internal engineer training.
- Automated production processes (Jidoka) and drove machine and labour performance through TPM and OEE programmes.
- Chaired CI reviews on planned downtime and speed loss using data analysis and structured problem solving.
- Developed new and existing products on new machinery in collaboration with NPD and customers.
- Audited against H&S, GMP, BRC, M&S and other retailer Codes of Practice; hosted announced and unannounced audits.
Site / Unit Manager at Les Artisans Boulangers Ltd. (Dr. Oetker Group) (2016-09 – 2017-11)
Owned total factory operations end to end—ingredients store, production, hygiene, technical, maintenance and dispatch across ambient, chilled and frozen ranges.
- Held P&L and budget accountability; drove productivity, efficiency and business continuity.
- Initiated and led Continuous Improvement with middle managers and supervisors; ran regular Kaizen training and owned the OEE improvement plan.
- Ensured compliance with health & safety, environmental, food safety and quality requirements, and met all customer-facing KPIs.
Bakery Manager at London Bread & Cake Company (2010-01 – 2016-08)
Managed production and dispatch of a wide bakery and confectionery range — c.80 staff, £7M annual turnover.
- Drove KPIs across waste reduction, efficiency and plan attainment; owned production and resource planning, quality control and P&L.
- Ensured compliance with Health & Safety, BRC Global Standards, HACCP and company procedures; conducted internal and external audits.
- Led, trained and developed the team; developed new and existing products for customers and marketing.
Assistant Bakery Manager at London Bread & Cake Company (2008-12 – 2009-12)
- Supervised bakery production and all Critical Control Points; managed quality control, staff planning and training.
- Analysed production performance to identify cost-reduction opportunities.
