Ricky Gill

A leading distributor of global toddler and baby brands supplying retailers across the MENA region in over 15 markets.

• Directs all operational activities across MAPYR's Group Companies to ensure short, medium, and long-term objectives are achieved.
• Full responsibility for a team of 40 across purchasing, planning, import, export & 3PL operations, compliance, after-sales, customer service, master data, inside sales, e.com fulfilment, analytics, and IT.
• Spearheaded the comprehensive business relocation and establishment of a new company entity. The initiative encompassed transferring the full business from Silicon Oasis to Dubai South, under a new entity, and enhancing the head office setup for over 100+ employees.
• Redefined the logistics and operations offering through the business by transforming the previous infrastructure with an outsourced solution. This change enabled warehouse consolidation, manpower savings, and fulfillment improvements, resulting in a remarkable 24% net cost benefit.
• Headed and implemented improvement initiatives across the Supply Chain to increase service Availability and on-time performance to 95%.
• Improved forecasting processes and demand plan accuracy, which led to a 30% saving in safety stock levels.
• Managed multiple transformational projects to include the implementation of a new ERP, WMS, predictive forecasting system, and customer CRM portal.
• Responsible for the planning, implementation, and roll-out of the D2C business model, which will enable omnichannel fulfillment through a local branded website and Shopify integration.
• Successfully led numerous company-wide cost optimization exercises, which have driven mapping activities across core areas and delivered a 25% improvement in service.
• Oversees budget governance, quarterly and annual budgeting process, and P&L responsibilities.
• Supervises the Sales & Operations Planning framework and processes to ensure alignment across business stakeholders.
• Accountable for overseeing and coordinating the preparation and execution of QBRs with major suppliers throughout the year.

One of the Middle East’s leading supermarket chains, Spinneys & Waitrose offer top quality produce and excellent customer service across 85 supermarkets in the region.

• Managed all aspects of the global supply chain which included local and international purchasing with a team of 25 placing over 1,000 orders a month.
• Managed supplier relationships with major partners across 41 countries.
• Relocated and consolidated an overseas Arabic labelling operation which included renting new premises, asset transfer & purchase, implementing process flows and employee recruitment, which resulted in a 10% bottom line benefit.
• Built a successful RFQ process which included freight tenders across air, sea, and road logistics. 2020 tenders resulted in a landed cost reduction of 18%.
• Introduced a diverse range of 3PL players into day-to-day operations across freight forwarding to support in maximizing operational efficiencies through sourcing and localization initiatives, multi temp vehicles, international consolidation exercises and center of gravity studies.
• Introduced a back-hauling system through utilizing the truck fleet on empty return by working with local suppliers on fleet optimization.
• Maintained product Availability across 85 supermarkets during the Covid period of 93%+ which enabled Spinneys & Waitrose to provide a continued offering to its customers.

One of the Middle East’s leading supermarket chains, Spinneys & Waitrose offer top quality produce and excellent customer service across 85 supermarkets in the region.

• Managed a 24/7 multi temperature 20,000 sq. meter operation for which involved processing 150 million units a year, across 15,000 SKUs, unloading 2,000 containers a year, over 1000 deliveries per day across 3 emirates.
• Managed a fleet of x80 trucks, with 170 drivers.
• Managed over 800 employees during peak periods, which included warehouse, planning, transport and quality control managers, assistant warehouse managers, supervisors, drivers and warehouse employees.
• Annual budget and P+L responsibility for Ambient and Chill warehouses of $30m.
• Successfully consolidated 5 underutilized warehouses which resulted in creating space for 15,000 SKUs, 5,000 pallet spaces, 30,000 pick slots, through racking out 5 chill chambers, 4 frozen chambers and 2 ambient warehouses.
• Built a strong warehouse management team across all functions to enable the development of a motivated workforce through on the job style leadership.
• Created an independent Planning Team with robust processes to facilitate the planning of resource and labor against expected volumes and forecasts.
• Led the transition and implementation of a warehouse management system (SAP EWM) which involved mapping out new processes from a manual set up, training and familiarization for 200 employees, go live planning, data migration and a successful execution during live operations.
• Implemented product classification system (ABC Grading) to create logic on how best to optimize operational efficiencies by relaying the warehouse every 6 months based on fast, medium and slow-moving products.
• Redesigned 50% of the ambient warehouse (4,000 sq meters) as a result of the introduction of “each picking”, which involved racking decommissioning, and erecting carton live storage to increase picking efficiencies by 200%.
• Successfully implemented a direct delivery solution for inbound air shipments by working with Emirates on managing the cold chain after aircraft offload, clearing, loading, delivery and arrival at Spinneys warehouse.

Provides onboard catering to Virgin trains across the country offering a range of innovative menu options using locally sourced healthy ingredients across the West Coast.

• Full responsibility of the Virgin Trains 3PL catering and onboard logistics contract out of London, Euston Station.
• Managed a 24/7 multi-temperature operation which involved catering 150 trains per day, processing 20 million units annually, inventory management, ware-wash, waste management, equipment storage, cold chain management and food assembly.
• Managed over 150 employees during peak periods, which included operations and planning managers, shift managers, supervisors, drivers and the warehouse team.
• Annual budget and P+L responsibility of £10m+
• Led the roll out of the Continuous Improvement & performance dialogue framework across 6 sites in the country.
• Fostered performance management through performance dialogues, daily briefings, one to one's, gemba walks and a collaborative open work culture amongst all colleagues.
• Enhanced team cohesion by celebrating successes and conducting brainstorming sessions to jointly work through operational problems.
• Coordinated network business continuity plans during the Euston Station flooding, ensuring operational stability and maintained continued service to Virgin trains across the country.

Providing a service for British Airways to manage the logistics process for its inflight services from Heathrow airport in the UK.

• Full responsibility of the British Airways short and mid-haul catering contract out of London Heathrow which involved catering up to 300 aircrafts a day.
• Managed a 24/7 multi-temperature 10,000 sq meter flight assembly center which involved processing 100 million units annually, inventory management, ware-wash, waste management, equipment storage, cold chain management, food assembly of over 36 different meal offerings, special meal requests and tracking airline consumption.
• Managed a fleet of 90 hi-loader 7.5ton trucks and 150 drivers.
• Managed over 400 employees during peak periods, which included operations, planning and transport managers, shift managers, supervisors, drivers and warehouse employees.
• Annual budget and P+L responsibility of £50m+.
• Led the implementation of a Warehouse Management System (Red Prairie) during the startup phase of the contract, over a 3-month period which resulted in a labor cost reduction of +35%.
• Led the implementation of Tourvest in Flight Retail services into DHL's flight Operations which consisted of a full takeover in 3 months, data migration, asset transfer, commissioning racking, WMS implementation, managing TUPE of 89 employees, training, recruitment an ensuring go-live readiness.
• Led the implementation of Premis, a site performance management system which helped deliver on gain share mechanisms in place with British Airways, in the region of 17% in labor savings.
• Implemented and bridged many process gaps in the cold chain which resulted in being able to track temperature sensitive meals through the cold chain from inbound to aircraft loading for safe human consumption.