Commercially Minded and Customer Focussed Strategic Leader: ----------------------------------------------------------------------I am an innovative and accomplished leader, who having spent 31 years working for Tesco as a Retail & Operations Manager, has made a successful shift into the Heritage and Cultural sector as Chief Officer – Visitor Experience and Enterprise at Durham Cathedral. After starting part-time at 16, I completed the graduate scheme following my degree in Accountancy. I held numerous Senior Team Positions and was appointed as a Store Manager in 1998. I have managed many complex stores of varying in sizes and scales and was an Area Manager of 14 Metro stores.As an Area Manager, I managed a team remotely and prioritized operations for 14 stores in the North East of Scotland. As a Store Manager I delivered significant financial, customer focus, operational, process and people development results. After leaving Tesco in July 2020 and spending some time developing myself through a number of courses, I started my current position at Durham Cathedral leading the introduction of a new business unit combing Visitor Experience, Museum, Education, Events, Retail and Third-Party catering.Achievements: As a Chief Officer I led the creation of the Visitor Experience and Enterprise business unit. Leading two Heads of Department, thirty Staff and around two hundred volunteers. Creating a one team culture leading to an improvement in efficiencies and cost reduction, whilst at the same time increasing income and profitability.As a Store Manager I consistently found ways to improve operations, while leading Change & Lean Projects and multi-disciplined teams. I optimised team skills to effect change while developing people including people who are now effective Store Managers. Significant improvements in culture, store performance with my last store saving around £250K p.a.). Notable Areas of Expertise • Operations Management • Optimizing Returns on Investment (ROI)• Increasing Profits • Change Management• Process and Procedural Development • Health & Safety / Security• Lean Projects • Financially & Commercially Astute• Inspections / Audits• Strategic Planning• Team Development, Supervision & Leadership• Customer/Visitor Focus• Troubleshooting / Problem Solving• Planning, Organizing, Prioritizing • Continuous Improvements• FM Services (Hard & Soft)• Setting & Meeting Targets• Q.A. / CompliancePlease download my CV