Mark Slater
Director of Business Operations @First Milk
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WORK HISTORY
Director of Business Operations @First Milk
First Milk, a British farmer‑owned dairy co‑operative that produces cheese, specialist dairy ingredients, and whey proteins, operating across the UK with a strong focus on regenerative farming and sustainability.Recruited into a newly created position to elevate performance governance, supply chain risk management and strategic planning for a £multi-million BU in a highly complex maturation-led category.• Stabilised demand planning cadence and service KPIs while reducing aged stock exposure through enhanced S & OP discipline.• Embedded risk‑based supplier management and resilience planning, protecting critical supply and service continuity.• Championed continuous improvement across 3 operational sites, best practice adoption and strong HSEQ culture across the business.• Led the ‘Regenerate’ Improvement Plan, sustaining a robust pipeline of initiatives delivering in‑year sustainable benefits of over £1.5m.• Built and led a high‑performing Supply Chain function of 5 across multiple locations, creating a collaborative culture and elevating performance standards across the team.• Developed people through clear PDRs and growth plans, role‑modelling an approachable, empowering and positively challenging leadership style.• Led implementation of the sustainable procurement strategy, reducing supply risk and securing best-value outcomes with cost savings of over £0.75m.• Established practical business resilience frameworks and site‑level BCPs to safeguard continuity in a VUCA environment.• Optimised cheese production planning and inventory management to meet customer needs while tightly controlling maturation stock levels.• Strengthened the Demand Planning function, improving forecast accuracy and enabling more efficient production and financial planning.• Acted as a key customer and supplier interface, shaping collaborative ways of working and unlocking joint value opportunities.
EDUCATION
CIMA
CIMA
The Manufacturing Institute
City & Guilds Fellowship, Accelerated Route to Lean Manufacturing
Ermysteds Grammar School
A-Levels
Sheffield Hallam University
Bachelor of Science (BSc), Countryside Recreational Management
ABOUT MARK SLATER
Strategic Finance Director with deep expertise across multinational FMCG, supply chain finance, and complex multi‑site operations. Proven track record shaping long‑term strategy, and driving enterprise-wide productivity, profitability and working capital performance across £3bn+ cost base.A trusted partner across Operations, Commercial, Procurement and Supply Chain, with extensive experience advising senior leadership and Boards in dynamic, volatile categories.• Executive-level Finance Business Partnering • Strategy development & long-term planning• Structural cost transformation & productivity programmes • Working capital optimisation (inventory, cash, stock-at-risk) • S & OP financial governance & scenario planning • Capex governance, investment appraisal & ROI tracking • Enterprise performance management & controls • Supply chain & manufacturing finance leadership • Business resilience, risk management & continuity • SAP / BW / TM1 reporting design & optimisation • Executive leadership, coaching & team capability building
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