Sue Elder Email & Phone Number

Independent management consultant delivering strategic change initiatives for leading UK and international retailers, with special focus on planning, buying & merchandising. Mixed portfolio including assignments delivered independently, as well as through Associate roles with Eden McCallum, First Friday and Kurt Salmon.Most recently involved in a major change project with a leading Spanish department store group working to introduce Merchandising across the business - scope… Show more Independent management consultant delivering strategic change initiatives for leading UK and international retailers, with special focus on planning, buying & merchandising. Mixed portfolio including assignments delivered independently, as well as through Associate roles with Eden McCallum, First Friday and Kurt Salmon.Most recently involved in a major change project with a leading Spanish department store group working to introduce Merchandising across the business - scope covering processes, systems, organisational & culture change and training.Previous clients have included M&S, Matalan, Otto, Canterbury NZ, Mothercare & The National TrustProjects have included retail due diligence, process improvement, Merchandising systems selection & implementation, brand strategy & market opportunities, supply chain & critical path, Show less

Cranfield Trust is a national charity and the UK's leading provider of pro bono business support for the voluntary sector. It provides free independent advice and management consultancy support to charities through its network of highly skilled professional volunteers.My role as Associate Regional Manager is to work with charity leaders to scope their requirements and match them to suitable volunteers; projects cover a broad range of issues, from business planning to financial… Show more Cranfield Trust is a national charity and the UK's leading provider of pro bono business support for the voluntary sector. It provides free independent advice and management consultancy support to charities through its network of highly skilled professional volunteers.My role as Associate Regional Manager is to work with charity leaders to scope their requirements and match them to suitable volunteers; projects cover a broad range of issues, from business planning to financial management, marketing, impact measurement and charity governance.I also deliver a bespoke programme of development workshops to charity CEOs covering topics such as change management, leadership, team effectiveness and getting the most from your Board. Show less

Turin Area, Italy

A member of the senior executive team which has driven the turnaround of this established Italian fashion retailer (300m€ turnover, 170 stores) following acquisition by Oaktree Capital Management.Developed core processes in budgeting & assortment planning, intake phasing, store clustering, size profiling, allocation/replenishment, in-season forecasting and Open to Buy management Specified and implemented the Torex (Micros) Merchandise planning system to support the end-to-end… Show more A member of the senior executive team which has driven the turnaround of this established Italian fashion retailer (300m€ turnover, 170 stores) following acquisition by Oaktree Capital Management.Developed core processes in budgeting & assortment planning, intake phasing, store clustering, size profiling, allocation/replenishment, in-season forecasting and Open to Buy management Specified and implemented the Torex (Micros) Merchandise planning system to support the end-to-end process and provide full visibility of data to underpin commercial decisionsDrove key inventory productivity initiatives delivering significant commercial and cash flow benefits which were critical to the success of the turnaround Show less

Turin Area, Italy

Established the Merchandising function from scratch, built and trained a team of Merchandisers, branch merchandisers/allocators and administrators

The Cranfield Trust is a national charity and the UK's leading provider pro bono business support for the voluntary sector. Every year our network of over 1,000 highly skilled volunteers from the commercial sector share their knowledge and experience with charities by providing independent advice and support on everything from business planning, to charity governance, and financial management. We work extensively with alumni of leading business schools and other professionally qualified… Show more The Cranfield Trust is a national charity and the UK's leading provider pro bono business support for the voluntary sector. Every year our network of over 1,000 highly skilled volunteers from the commercial sector share their knowledge and experience with charities by providing independent advice and support on everything from business planning, to charity governance, and financial management. We work extensively with alumni of leading business schools and other professionally qualified business people, enabling small to medium sized charities to access key skills and expertise. Show less

Responsible for delivering a range of projects for leading European retailers in fashion, general merchandise and grocery sectors. Clients included Nike, Iceland Frozen Foods, Vodafone Retail, 3i. Assignments focused on 3 key areas: - Range planning and Merchandise Management - Brand Strategy & Marketing - Supply Chain & Critical Path

Full supply chain accountability for books, stationery, greeting cards & toys: 1600 lines from >100 suppliers with distribution across 65 UK stores and direct mail worldwide

Street, Somerset

Buying branded children's footwear for top store departments including Harrods, and Clarks kids sports ranges for >300 Clarks shops in UK

Assessing potential for Clarks Children's brand in key European markets (Spain, Holland, France)

Managing Clarks business with 30 independent retailers

1St Class Ma Hons, Human Sciences

Education record

Education record