Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Accomplishments
References
Affiliations
Timeline
Generic

Lee Burns

Balmain,NSW

Summary

I am an enthusiastic and dedicated professional with over 20 years’ experience across all areas of wholesale and retail management. I demonstrate a strong ability to manage projects from conception through to successful completion. A proactive individual with a logical approach to challenges, I perform effectively within a highly pressurized environment. Strong negotiation, communication, analytical and organizational skills. Able to motivate, lead and inspire teams to reach shared goals. Methodical Director with 20 years of comprehensive experience overseeing daily operations of retail fashion companies. Hardworking and versatile professional well-versed in executing business strategies, preparing and implementing business plans and overseeing financial performance. Thorough knowledge of market changes and trends paired with strong grasp of corporate finance and performance measures. Take-charge professional delivering executive support and team leadership to business operations. Dependable and detail-oriented to manage multiple tasks and priorities. Broad experience includes office management, invoicing, dispatching, database management, vendor negotiations and contract management. Recognized for exemplary customer service and team collaboration. Business-minded professional tackling any job task with gusto and precision.

Overview

30
30
years of professional experience

Work History

Assortment & Implementation Director

Luxottica
04.2019 - Current
  • Responsible for Australian planning team based in Agordo Italy
  • Responsible for assortment team in Milan Italy.
  • All inventory reporting for Executive Australia and Italy team on service levels across all banners.
  • Liaison on all demand planning issues, delays and communication to the Australian business.
  • Australian team point person for all implementation and store projects around product
  • Liaison between China DC, Italian office and Australian stake holders
  • Roadshow presentations to state / regional directors and store teams
  • Planning lead for over 700 stores, Sunglass Hut, Oakley, Ray-Ban and OPSM via model stocks in RPAS planning system
  • Managing excess and aging stock in the network.
  • Marketing & Visual merchandising alignment for brands with Italy and Australian team
  • Last mile store execution lead for all product related projects and implementations ensuring a 360 approach is taken by all departments to ensure stores execute to a Gold standard. 3PL set up in Australia with Toll, all demand planning on contact lenses and accessories for AU and NZ

Planning Manager / Master Data Manager

Luxottica
12.2015 - 04.2019
  • Set up of Master Data team in Australia to cover 700+ stores in Australia and New Zealand and South East Asia and over 200 support office staff.
  • Maintain the critical path for the lifecycle of all product categories in conjunction with Italy and China teams.
  • Lead the budgeting process for initial budget and reforecasts throughout the year 3+9, 6+6 and 8+4
  • Category level, brand level and input into corporate systems and RPAS planning system.
  • Lead the store segmentation process in line with budgets and inventory obsolescence provision.
  • Creation of new stock obsolescence model post showroom implementation.
  • Project lead for the showroom project
  • Global first for Luxottica.
  • Develop product strategies for poor performing brands in conjunction with other stakeholders.
  • Monthly MSSI meetings with Category Managers and Planners.
  • Part of the leadership team tasked with driving the business in all areas.
  • Manage a team of 6 planners and 3 master data specialists.

Planning Administration Manager

Nikon
11.2014 - 11.2015
  • Weekly demand planning of all Nikon DSLR cameras and accessories
  • Liaison with Japan on new models, forecasts needed up to 12 months in advance for production
  • Managing excess an aging stock
  • Maintaining optimal stock levels to ensure timely availability of products.
  • Set up of forecasting tool for national sales managers to use with key accounts
  • Participate and sometimes lead the monthly sales / brand meetings
  • Lead, mentor and coach the planning and administration teams.
  • Produced a “planning bible” of all tasks with instructions.
  • Main point of contact for all sales managers and key accounts such as JB HiFi.

National Sales and Planning Manager

Designa Accessories
10.2012 - 10.2014
  • Set up planning department to deal with all 8 brands
  • Main sales contact point for major retailers such as Myer and David Jones
  • Responsible for sales team (independents) budgeting process
  • Set grids and ranges for all major customers (newness sell in)
  • Budget process for financial year for all brands
  • Set and monitor and implement OTB by brand / division and category
  • Authorization of markdowns
  • Negotiation of contracts

Merchandise Services Manager

LS Travel Retail
06.2010 - 10.2012
  • Set up the inventory team from scratch at LS Travel
  • Set up centrally managed automated order for all Purely group stores (24)
  • Set up centrally managed automated orders for tobacco, beverages and confectionery in NZ and Australia in over 120 airport stores.
  • Implementation of an OTB for Purely Group stores
  • Project manager of warehouse relocation project from Sydney airport to Rosebury
  • Supplier and SKU rationalization project leader.
  • Part of the project teams covering EDI, NZ integration, Purely Group integration
  • Responsible for the planning team and also the category managers.
  • Responsible for reporting to the Executive committee stock position and any issues, successes.
  • Part of the reports committee.

General Manager Planning and Operations

Fossil Australia
01.2008 - 01.2010
  • Responsible for implementing a companywide risk assessment process covering retail, wholesale and e commerce.
  • Reporting to the Managing Director with responsibility for warehouse, logistics, facilities, planning and procurement for all channels, sales operations, I T and customer services.
  • Project managing SAP roll outs to all 18 Fossil owned stores.
  • Part of the key user group for Navision Base line roll out system across Asia
  • Reducing stock levels across all brands and extensions by implementing new planning OTB’s and processes.
  • Set up of KPI’s and SLA’s for customer services and warehouse departments
  • Managing the outsourced I T function and reducing costs by different working practices
  • Part of a regional planning group involved in developing best practices
  • Involved in implementing people counting technology in our stores
  • Compliance reporting for all Fossil Australia retail stores

Assistant Director of Operations

Fossil UK
01.2006 - 04.2008
  • Responsible for meeting budgetary and sales targets through motivating and developing staff, consistently achieving and surpassing Key Performance Indicators.
  • Reporting to the Managing Director with responsibility for monitoring and controlling compliance in all areas customer care, effective planning, staff training and development, organization and time management.
  • Supporting management and staff to help create their own successful and productive team and become effective team leaders
  • Maximizing sales opportunities by promoting the highest standards of customer care and recognizing potential development and training opportunities
  • Reviewing and evaluating weekly KPI achievement and producing an end of week spreadsheet
  • Handling and swiftly resolving customer complaints in a professional and effective manner

Planning Manager

Fossil UK
01.1998 - 01.2004
  • Manage a team of 4 processors and 4 planners
  • Oversee and control buying for over 15 brands and product extensions
  • Communication of numbers to senior management

Sales administrator

Fossil UK
01.1994 - 01.1996
  • Look after the day to day running of all sales orders coming in to the office.
  • Set up the processing department from scratch
  • Train new employees on the bespoke software system.

Planning and Operations Manager

Fossil UK
  • Take on responsibility for the repairs and spare parts department.
  • Oversee distribution of the Michele brand worldwide.
  • Responsible for warehouse and distribution.
  • Project manage a UK office refurbishment and relocation
  • Set up of the Visual Merchandising department

Planner

Fossil UK
  • Merchandise all Fossil UK brands on excel and on SAP APO system
  • Responsible for weekly, monthly and quarterly reports to parent company in US.
  • Set up of master data on SAP and Mitral bespoke software.

Education

English, History, General Studies, Economics, Math

Denbigh School
Buckinghamshire

Skills

  • Staff Development, Have been managing teams from 5- 65 for over 20 years now Involved in all aspects of their development from goal setting, reviews, appraisals, performance management and promotions
  • Logistics Management, Involved in setting up various customer service locations for global companies in different countries A repair service in France for Europe wide service Involved in moving the planning team from Fossil UK and Australia to various global hubs Most recently the planning lead for the Australian Luxottica planning and assortment teams changing to Milan and Agordo and shipping from China and Italy
  • Project Coordination, I have been project lead on many projects from product launches in UK and Australia to moving warehouses office relocations, setting up customer service teams, master data teams, starting OTB's and starting planning from scratch for many different categories
  • Budget Control For over 20 years have been budgeting for various companies, Fossil, Nikon, Luxottica, Lagadere Working on budgets and reforecasts in line with finance, sales and senior management
  • Verbal and Written Communication I have high levels of verbal and written communication and can deal with people at all levels
  • Hiring and Retention I have been part of the hiring process in all of the companies I have worked in Also deeply involved in retention and progressing people through the companies I still work and keep in touch with people from 20 years ago and some of the people I hired are now in GM positions
  • Legal and Regulatory Compliance In the UK I worked on Sarbanes Oxley for Fossil, have been involved on projects with the ACCC in Australia and been point person for disaster recovery plan set up and implementations
  • Financial Reporting Planning is always involved in producing the reports for sales, management team, planning teams, assortment teams etc Also being head of master data it connects well with finance reporting
  • Capital Spending, Working closely with store design and set up teams on store relocations and refurbishments and the capital spending associated with new stores

Accomplishments

  • Successfully implemented systems and infra structures taking the company from 1 million to 55 million pounds over a ten year period.
  • Project managed an office refurbishment and move of 100 employees
  • Implemented open to buy and door plan controls in to the planning department
  • A key member in the team launching Armani, DKNY, Diesel, Fossil and other brands in to the UK market.
  • Implementation of a top door policy for the visual merchandising department thus increasing turnover by 14 %.
  • Key project lead in moving from an Australian second level DC to a first level DC in China for Luxottica. 600 stores impacted.
  • Implementation of a store visit methodology for all Luxottica banners and stores using two new tools Iauditor and Airtable.
  • Australian lead for the planning centralization project moving planning accountabilities and tasks to Agordo and Milan Italy.

References

Available on request

Affiliations

  • Regular tennis player, ultra trail runner and keen cyclist.

Timeline

Assortment & Implementation Director

Luxottica
04.2019 - Current

Planning Manager / Master Data Manager

Luxottica
12.2015 - 04.2019

Planning Administration Manager

Nikon
11.2014 - 11.2015

National Sales and Planning Manager

Designa Accessories
10.2012 - 10.2014

Merchandise Services Manager

LS Travel Retail
06.2010 - 10.2012

General Manager Planning and Operations

Fossil Australia
01.2008 - 01.2010

Assistant Director of Operations

Fossil UK
01.2006 - 04.2008

Planning Manager

Fossil UK
01.1998 - 01.2004

Sales administrator

Fossil UK
01.1994 - 01.1996

Planning and Operations Manager

Fossil UK

Planner

Fossil UK

English, History, General Studies, Economics, Math

Denbigh School

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Lee Burns