Case Studies
Background
Online4Baby is an Oldham-based e-commerce business, which provides baby-related home products to the B2C market.
It is a family business, led by CEO Christie Foster and in 2020 was achieving a turnover of c£40m. Christie identified the need for a financial leader who could bring senior experience within the domain of e-commerce. The individual was required to take on board-level operational responsibility, establish rigourous systems, processes and financial reporting demanded by a growing e-commerce brand, and bring knowledge of the key financial metrics required within the industry.
Additionally this individual should be able to liaise with and influence the marketing function, in order to help drive growth.
Journey
Experienced in placing high-calibre senior finance leaders into founder led businesses, Rowan had a strong understanding of the challenges involved in professionalising the finance function in a high-growth, family-owned business.
Rowan sought to identify a shortlist of candidates with the relevant domain experience, as well as the situational experience to also take control of operations and have the ability to work closely with and influence marketing positively.
Additionally the individual needed to have the right behavioural profile to work closely with Christie and provide the financial expertise needed to allow her to focus on developing and growing the business further.
The individual appointed, Nick Cooling, brought with him a strong track record in e-commerce from his time at BoohooMan along with substantial commercial, financial and operational experience.
Impact
During his time at Online4Baby, Nick introduced formal financial reporting for key e-commerce metrics, took control of the operational side of the business and as such allowed Christie and the wider Exec Board to focus on business development and growth. In his role as CFO, Nick contributed to a 50% increase in turnover between 2021 and 2022.
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