Graeme Ritchie Email & Phone Number

Kelowna, Bc

Sustainable, Impactful, Time-bound, Results. Known to help on Fractional / Contract COO basis as well as part-time consultant. Often specializing in scaling up Operations and meeting requirements of new international markets; effective change management to more modern efficient and automated financial and/or operations systems.Experienced in B2B, and B2C in many market verticals (Finance, Retail, Manufacturing, Agriculture, Viticulture). Enjoy collaborating to action effective:- Financial statement analysis; budget creation; balance sheet, cashflow, and P&L forecasting- Business planning, investor updates, and financial models- Useful tools: capital ROI assessments, fulfillment trackers, sales dashboards, project schedules, and management scorecards.- Operations, Supply Chain, Recruitment, HSE, Processing Automation, Leadership & Management- Domestic, Import / Export 3PL, Procurement Services- Opportunity due diligence and feasibility evaluations- Manufacturing facility and workflows design- Process mapping and efficiency assessment- Construction project management- Co-Manufacturing setup, and pilot product development- Setup & maintain GFSI certification, GMP, GPP, HACCP, Quality & Retail Compliance Programs- CFIA SFC License food safety program setup, audit prep and FDA registration for export ready

British Columbia, Canada

Manage, coordinate, and supervise various private businesses.

Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

- partner with the CEO and Founder in mission to expand into the US retail market- setup systems and processes to achieve CFIA and FDA licenses required to export- build and maintain budget, projections and financial models- create cost, inventory, project and fulfillment trackers- conduct regular scrum and sprint team meetings remotely- create job descriptions, performance scorecards and training matrix for each position- source and negotiate robust supply chain for national and international expansion- coordinate and supervise co-manufacturer- support CEO with investor presentations and updates- lead IRAP and other government funding projects- hire successor (left due to unforeseen family health priority)

British Columbia, Canada

- Contracted to source suitable Co-Manufacturer of products- Created procedures and policies required for CFIA export license- Created food safety plans, product and material specifications, and process flow diagrams for each product- Created RFP for Co-manufacturers- Scope of work broadened to supervise and lead other areas of operations such as R&D, Supply Chain, and Quality Control

Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada

- Leader of Canadian Operations team including production, cultivation, supply chain, and processing.- Collaborate with executive team on strategy and roll out effectively with SMART tasks- Setup business analytical data models including detailed production run cost tracking, improved production scheduling, forecasting models, and KPI monitoring- Lead process improvement projects: optimized, created and implemented SOP’s- Built strong collaborative relationships with Finance, HR, Quality, Regulatory, Legal, Marketing and Sales- Curated several successful Jira project ticket systems for improved inter-departmental communication and ownership of tasks through to delivery- Developed and presented business cases to executives for projects to improve production output, reduce cycle times, communication, and supply chain efficiencies. Many were successfully adopted or penciled for when CAPEX and OPEX allows.- Re-structured and streamlined operations reducing overall headcount and costs by approximately 40% within 3 months- Implemented automated packaging line reducing labour costs/g by 90% and increasing production capacity/person by 6x- Developed Covid 19 operating plan and successfully navigated reduction of staff, and many positions working from home whilst still growing production capacity and capitalizing on cost efficiencies- Improved company culture by fostering a team spirit, with a focus on continuous improvement and genuine empathy for colleagues

Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada

- Lead Supply Chain Team in areas of procurement, material supply, demand planning, warehousing, distribution, and logistics- derive and implement best practices to ensure companies strategic objectives are met- develop SOPs, and process flowcharts- analyze critical inventory to support decisions on product mix- provide leadership of global supply partnerships including contract and price negotiations, product roadmaps, capability and capacity alignment with Flowr growth plans- work collaboratively with finance, sales, quality, and production to determine preferred vendors and distributors - provide oversight of materials flow and storage- identify, lead, and manage cost reduction projects

Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada

- Create & Implement efficient warehouse material management systems- recruit & train effective personnel- assess and recommend appropriate shipping methods to meet specifications- setup inventory controls and organization- setup centralized procurement and realize effective vendor assessment cost savings and quality improvements- ensure compliance with Health Canada regulatory & quality standards- project managed procurement and validation of manufacturing automation- identified improved operational flow opportunities and influenced facility design changes accordingly- successfully orchestrated the first clone and seed shipments to/from Europe

Lake Country, Bc

Reported directly to Company President (Owner)- Rapid business growth planning and execution from 1000 tons to 10000+ tons in 10 years - Capital projects management and co-ordinating various specialist contractors- Leading a large team to achieve challenging production targets and client deadlines- Perishable fruit handling and cold chain systems specialist - Focus on extending market life of perishable fruit - HR succession planning of seasonal business with over 1000 employees and multiple sites- Manage and negotiate efficient international / domestic perishable product distribution- Supply chain management and effective procurement for all equipment and materials- Manage technical compliance to pass government laws, industry GMP, ethical, and customer GFSI audits- Develop company policies, procedures, contracts, maintenance systems, inventory control systems- Developing effective communications & technical operations- Website and public relations management- Network security and infrastructure management- Developing safety culture, programs, and reducing insurance premiums- Securing government funding for various innovative industry leading projects e.g. field rain covers, light reflecting ground covers

Lake Country, Bc

- Manage technical compliance to pass government, industry GMP (Global GAP) and customer audits (Costco, Tesco, Wholefoods, Walmart)- Developing food safety programs such as HACCP and managing adoption by large team- Creating food safety risk assessments for new product and processes e.g. frozen and juice- Validating vendors and contract facilities/services- Hiring & Leading a team of lab technicians to report on quality of cherry lots daily- Hiring and leading a team of L3 First Aid Officers- Relationship management of Chinese and Japanese delegates and other new market opportunities- Developing safety culture, fire safety plans and training for a large team at various sites- Reduced WSBC insurance premiums and claims costs significantly each year- Identifying solutions to inefficiencies- Working with contractors to engineer technical and safety improvements in packing house and field

Lake Country, Bc

- Crop protection supervision- Equipment calibration, diagnostics training and record keeping- 24 hour crop protection call-out for drying, spraying, wind machine operation (frost fighting)- Horticultural projects efficient execution and leadership e.g. ripping out old tree fruit orchard, installing new trellis systems and preparing soil for planting- Manage and lead team of over 30 people in key department of packing house during harvest season - Operate FLT, Skid Steer, Tractor, scissor lift, and other farm equipment as required- Participate in various farm labour tasks required to develop and maintain crop, buildings, equipment and operations

Career Break with casual construction work

London, United Kingdom

Graduate Fast-Track Management Program: 6 months - personal debt specialist: flexible investments, credit card, loans, overdrafts up to $30k6 months - small business specialist: flexible investments, overdrafts, credit cards, loans up to $50k, review and assist development of business plansYear 2 - commercial account management: 50k-250k credit, Administration of credit accounts, developing relationships and growing accountsYear 3 - specialist unit (Barristers/Sports Professionals) - premier/commercial account management: 250k - $5m credit, Administration of credit accounts, growing accounts and relationshipsExtra curricular projects: organizing large events & venues, studying finance management at LIBF (London Institute of Banking & Finance), various local community and charity volunteer hours.

Chester, United Kingdom

- Last year was as temporary Store Manager with two associate managers- Accurately and efficiently managed store budget to exceed targets- Developed Sales & Merchandising for $4m turnover store- Hiring, training, leading and managing a team of 30 to excel in customer service, sales, and efficient inventory management - Efficient forecasting, planning & scheduling of part-time and full-time staff to meet retail traffic fluctuations

Post-Baccalaureate, Accounting

Applied Diploma, Finance And Financial Management Services, Merit

Bachelor’S Degree, Mass Communication/Media Studies, First Class