Christopher Bates Email & Phone Number

Coventry, England, United Kingdom

Took time out to care for ill parent and carry out home refurbishments.

Tamworth, England, United Kingdom

Product: Designer Carpeting/Natural Flooring/Rugs/Rug TrimsBrands: * Crucial Trading* Telenzo* Gaskell Wool Rich* Kersaint CobbDuties: * Full product development of all product groups, from 1st proto to bulk production.* Setting and managing cost prices/COGS/margin/P&L.* Intensive critical path management.* Management of daily internal and external challenges, proactive firefighting and problem solving.* Continual liaison with all suppliers & stakeholders.* Streamline and implement strategy, process flow, procedure and best practice.Achievements:* Successfully developed and launched numerous new ranges while working solo, hybrid and autonomously.* Designed and developed a pioneering, comprehensive and coherent 200 SKU rug trim range for Crucial Trading – making it the first time this had been done in the brand’s history while part of HFD Tamworth.* Streamlined existing processes and implemented new ones to make the business model more efficient and effective.* Strengthened existing supplier relationships and built new ones.* Implemented accurate COGS and Margin and structure to my brands.* Modernised and streamlined business case proposals to be more effective and concise.* Set up more effective workflow procedures on Monday.com.* Worked alongside Senior Management in restructuring the designer brands, growing business and modernising the ways of working.* Fire-fighting daily issues whilst also strategising & future proofing.* Resigned due to work environment.

Coventry, England, United Kingdom

Product: Men’s and Ladies:-* Trainingwear* Activewear* Lifestyle Apparel* Accessories* Headwear* Footwear* Boxing EquipmentDuties: * Full product development of all product groups, from 1st proto to bulk production.* Setting and managing cost prices/COGS/RRP/margin/P&L for all product.* Team management, training & growth.* Intensive critical path management.* Management of daily supply chain challenges & bulk production.* Continual liaison with all suppliers & stakeholders.* Streamline and implement strategy, process flow, procedure and best practice.Achievements:* Created & implemented all product development, buying and bulk production processes and systems.* Created & implemented a streamlined product roadmap based on phasing, trend and target customer analysis.* Created & implemented a streamlined but inclusive business process flow to ensure all business needs were met.* Created & implemented business wide critical path with accurate dates and KPIs for all stakeholders to work to and effectively achieve.* Implemented accurate COGS, Margin and RRP structure.* Implemented industry standard garment tech, fittings and testing procedure, recruited senior level Garment Tech.* Implemented structured Merch & PO raising, robust supplier, supply chain, bulk production & logistics management.* Implemented structured budgeting, financial & accounts management systems and procedure, working closely with a large, established 3rd party accounts team.* Streamlined teams to improve workflow, cohesively line managing 4 Designers, 1 Technical Equipment Engineer, 1 Garment Tech and 1 Logistics Assistant.* Fire-fighting daily issues whilst also strategising & future proofing.* Left business with robust go forward systems and procedures.* Agreed redundancy due to reduced seniority of the role.

London, England, United Kingdom

Product: Ladies and Men’s luxury:-* Bags* Small Leather Goods (SLGs)* All Accessories* Footwear* Gifting* Licensed Luggage* Licensed Watches & Jewellery* Licensed Home FragranceDuties: * Full product development of all product groups, from 1st proto to bulk production, adhering to cost/margin/P&L throughout.* Team management, training & growth.* Intensive critical path management.* Management of daily supply chain challenges & bulk production.* Continual liaison with all suppliers & stakeholders.* Oversee usage of PLM and PO system.Achievements:* Streamlined and merged the Product Development and Production Teams into one cohesive, well managed department, growing the Development Team from 2 reports to 7 - personally training & mentoring 2 Seniors/5 Juniors on all aspects of their new roles.* Created & implemented a much needed, all inclusive Global Business Critical Path.* Created & implemented a streamlined but inclusive business process flow to ensure all business needs were met.* Analysed sample needs versus cost and produced a robust & effective solution for going forwards.* Identified and implemented how to effectively use samples to minimise the need for very expensive 3rd party photography and to speed up the critical path flow.* Opened up lines of communications to improve work flow and working relationships with all stakeholders whether located in Head Office, International Offices or at the global suppliers.* Analysed usage of PLM system and implemented corrective action plans/training - resulting in the need to move the ownership of PLM from Design to within Product Development to ensure an effective and efficient use of the PLM tool.* Worked in conjunction with the Merchandising Manager to identify/correct both new and long running challenges created by the use numerous legacy systems.* Fire-fighting daily issues whilst also strategising & future proofing.* Mutual agreement to leave due to Covid restructure.

Farringdon - London

Product: Ladies and Men's, High Fashion:-Lost Ink - Ladies Footwear/Bags/All Accessories.Five Basics - Men's Apparel/Footwear/Bags/All Accessories.Senior role responsible for the management of development, sourcing, production, tech, fittings, risk assessment, legal/CSR/testing compliance, QC & QA and support/improve the supply chain.Duties: * Product Development from 1st proto to bulk production, upholding risk assessments throughout.* Full critical path management.* Managing sealing process and fit sessions.* Inspecting product for QC/QA & spec compliance; maintaining due diligence.* Assessing industry standard lab testing; monitoring compliance to REACH, CA Prop65, GS/LFGB etc.* Continual support & guidance to Direct Suppliers & all stakeholders.* Management of supply chain & bulk production; continual liaison with China based QC team.* Monitoring & analysing returns, responding accordingly.* Direct report: 1 also mentoring Senior & Junior Clothing Techs on test standards, risk assessment, compliance & CSR.Achievements:* Opened lines of communications between all parties, becoming a pivotal role & building a cohesive team.* Fire-fighting daily issues whilst also strategising & future proofing.* Streamlined procedures both in-house & with Direct Suppliers to achieve 360° understanding.* Reduced sealing samples by over 50%, making fit sessions & sealing quicker, more efficient, more commercial.* Worked alongside BV Testing to implement a conformance library website to hold all legal documents & supplier manuals - was also instrumental in the structuring of a new version of this library, now rolled out to all its clients.* Implemented & managed these policies & documents: - CSR & Ethical Sourcing, Supplier Best Practice, Standard Make Requirements, Testing Manuals, Branding & Packaging Manuals, Grading & Size Guides.* Implemented & managed factory auditing; following up on Corrective Action Plans (CAPs).* Redundancy due to company closure

London, United Kingdom

Product: Ladies and Men’s - High Street, Fast Fashion:-* Bags* All Accessories* Homeware* CeramicsSenior, leadership role, equally customer & supplier facing; responsible for the management & continual improvement to all compliance/QC/Tech, production & supply chain.Account Base: Debenhams:- Betty Jackson, Mathew Williamson, John Rocha, Julien MacDonald, Jasper Conran, Ben De Lisi, Red Herring, Henry Holland, Faith, Floozie, Mantaray, Collection and Occasions.River Island:- High Fashion Mainline and High Fashion Premium.Duties: * Lead & coordinate team of 4 designers, 2 junior account managers & 2 merchandisers.* Product Development from 1st proto onward to bulk production & upholding risk assessments throughout.* Full critical path management.* In-line & in-house Inspecting of product for QC/QA & spec compliance, maintaining due diligence.* Assessing, monitoring & issuing industry standard testing and monitoring compliance to REACH.* Continual instruction to suppliers on product development, bulk production & QA/QC.* Managing factory auditing & following up on Corrective Action Plans (CAPs).* Management of supply chain/bulk production, sourcing & price/lead time negotiation.* Face to face customer service & account management.* Managing sealing process & attending fit sessions – average of 350 MTO options per season.* Monitoring & analysing returns, responding accordingly.Achievements:* Became a linchpin role, opening lines of communication, ensuring a smooth flow of product through the critical path.* Fire-fighting daily issues while remaining forward thinking, bigger picture planning at the same time.* Implemented new procedures with customers, in-house & suppliers to achieve improved understanding all-round.* Reduced QC issues & subsequent customer penalties for QC failures or noncompliance by 75%.* Progressed/troubleshot product ranges through product life-cycle.* Redundancy due to relocation of the role to the China Office.

London, United Kingdom

Product: Ladies, Men's & Kids - TV Retail, Fast Fashion:-* All Apparel* Bags and SLGs* All Accessories* All Footwear* Watches & Jewellery (High Value & Costume)* Homewares & Soft Furnishings* Immediately streamlined Menswear/Ladies Wear/Kids Wear/all Footwear/Watches/Jewellery teams into one, consolidated and coherent Fashion Team. Also gained Homeware & Soft Furnishings during employment in the role.* Daily team leadership of fashion QA team and Buying teams across owned product groups to ensure that all due diligence, risk assessment, product quality and safety reached company standards; ensuring that product groups were compliant to UK legislation and Advertising Standards Agency standards, also compliant with REACH, RoHSII and WEEE – this process was time critical as to not impede product intake due to live TV constraints; depending on product mix, an average of 150 SKUs were personally sealed per week.* Project lead and implemented new procedures with suppliers and internal departments to achieve improved understanding and performance all-round.* Created and implemented strategy to meet and grow business needs.* Redundancy due to company closure

London, United Kingdom

Technical & Supply Chain Manager:Kickers & KangaROOS: Fast Fashion Footwear/Apparel/AccessoriesTed Baker, Gio Goi & OneTrueSaxon: High Fashion Footwear/Accessories* Daily team lead for all product development, supply chain and customer service.* I technically developed the range through to salesman samples.* Implemented open costing/critical path.* Successfully managed price negotiation and margin control.SAP Implementation Project - Master Data Manager:* Secondment from role to project manage all master data & data migration during an implementation of SAP.* SAP was delivered on time and in budget with minimal impact on the business.*Redundancy due to a company downsizing restructure.

London, United Kingdom

Sabbatical to recuperate from cancer treatment – all clear now, annual check-ups required.During this time I did 6 months voluntary work as Brand Start-Up/Ops Manager for Luta Sportswear, Clothing & Accessories.

London, England, United Kingdom

Product: Ladies Luxury and Runway Couture:-* All Apparel* Accessories* Jewellery (High Value & Costume)* Team lead on all technical, operation and retail areas for luxury designer providing ready to wear and couture, casual and tailored daywear/evening wear, denim, jersey, knitwear, bags, gloves, scarves and jewellery. 30+ account base including:-Harrods, Harvey Nichols, Selfridges, House of Fraser, Brown’s, Cricket, Matches, Net-a-Porter, Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus.* Managed 3 direct reports and implemented/managed ongoing work placement/graduates scheme.* Implemented 1-2-1 customer visits & fittings.* Implemented merchandising practices to improve accounts receivable and cash flow.* Project lead and implemented new procedures with suppliers and internal departments to achieve improved understanding and performance all-round.* Created and implemented strategy and critical path to meet and grow business needs.* Redundancy due to company closure.

London, United Kingdom

Product: Men’s, Ladies and Kids Luxury:-* Footwear* Apparel* Accessories* This role was specifically created, it's main objective was to implement a complete operations/critical path, customer service & order management package; created as a direct result of the brand regaining the global license from Ben Sherman Plc.* Direct reports – 2.* Technically developed range of luxury footwear, accessories and clothing from concept to salesman samples.* Implemented QC & commercial viability, range steering & margin control.* Sourced/audited Far East suppliers.* Full PO management.* Increased global distributors from 5 to 23.* Created pivotal customer service and after sales care.* Led trade shows and sales conferences.* Sourced, opened and fully managed 6 month pop up shop in Covent Garden, London.* Project lead and implemented new procedures with suppliers and internal departments to achieve improved understanding and performance all-round.* Created and implemented strategy and critical path to meet and grow business needs.* This was a fixed term contract.

London, United Kingdom

Product: Branded:-Ben Sherman: Fast Fashion Footwear/Accessories/WatchesAcupuncture: Luxury Designer Footwear/AccessoriesEvisu: Designer Apparel/AccessoriesHard Yakka: Designer Apparel/Accessories* Managed team of 16. * Managed licensed brands.* Implemented QC system.* Increased turnover by 150%, exceeding month end targets.* Built customer service and logistics teams.* Improved 3rd party DC and supplier management, SLAs & KPIs; sourced/audited suppliers.* Project lead and implemented new procedures with suppliers and internal departments to achieve improved understanding and performance all-round.* Created and implemented strategy to meet and grow business needs.* Redundancy due to department relocation to Ireland.

London, United Kingdom

Product: Ladies High Street Fashion and Evening wear:-* All Apparel* All Accessories* Costume Jewelry* Managed team of 30+ working across Ladies Apparel/Accessories/Costume Jewellery. * Implemented and managed technical development, fit sessions, QC, Special Make Up systems and critical path.* Sourced & audited suppliers.* Implemented restructure, reducing overheads 45%; increased margins 20%.* Project lead and implemented new procedures with suppliers and internal departments to achieve improved understanding and performance all-round.* Created and implemented strategy to meet and grow business needs.* Actively recruited.

Manchester, United Kingdom

Product: Men's & Ladies Wholesale/Retail/Mail Order High Street Fashion:-* All Apparel* All Accessories* Designed/developed rolling range of men’s & ladies apparel and accessories.* Implemented specs, costing and QC systems.* Improved in-house procedures.* Sourced Cut, Make and Trim suppliers & implemented pattern drafting and grading. * Increased productivity, margin and sales.* Project lead and implemented new procedures with suppliers and internal departments to achieve improved understanding and performance all-round.* Created and implemented strategy and critical path to meet and grow business needs.* Relocated to London.

Manchester & Worcester, United Kingdom

Restaurant Manager - 1 year - ManchesterMail Order Computer Dept - 3 years - Manchester/WorcesterJunior Retail Manager - 1 year - Worcester

Education record

Education record

Education record