Matthew Pyne

MATTHEW PYNE DipM ACIM SENIOR PRODUCT & CATEGORY LEADER | STRATEGY & GROWTH Driving strategic transformation and commercial growth through clarity and cross-functional leadership Dynamic and commercially astute senior leader with 20+ years of international experience in marketing, product, category, and commercial operations across manufacturing, distribution, and service sectors. Expert in designing and executing growth strategies that align market insights with product innovation and operational excellence. Proven success building high-performing teams, launching profitable products, and transforming legacy structures into agile, market-led functions. Happy to engage executive stakeholders, navigating matrix environments, and leading change. Equally comfortable in established global businesses or entrepreneurial scale-ups. AREAS OF EXPERTISE CAREER OVERVIEW Southgate Global, Towcester UK A private equity owned business (Rutland Partners), Southgate Global is a leader in packaging equipment, consumables, and servicing that improve efficiency in logistics and fulfilment operations. Head of Product & Category Management Sept 2023 – May 2025 As a member of the leadership team my newly created role was to establish a Category Management approach supporting the growth target of doubling the company revenue to £120M by the end of 2026, before handing over to several lower-level roles to maintain momentum on the volume of activity involved in the Category Plan. • Led strategic category development, contributing to a doubling of YoY revenue growth through optimised product mix and pricing strategies. • Developed and executed end-to-end category strategies, from range architecture to new product pipeline, product proposition and lifecycle management, doubling gross margin within 12 months. • Implemented data-driven decision-making using customer insights, market trends, and performance analytics to streamline SKU count by 17% and reduce working capital by £10M. • Optimised promotional and pricing strategies, achieving +£1M incremental business wins. • Spearheaded lead generation initiatives through precision tools, yielding £30M+ pipeline opportunities. • Directed digital marketing strategies to enhance category visibility online, contributing to e-commerce sales growth of 40% year-over-year. • Championed digital transformation by integrating advanced category management tools and dashboards, reducing manual processes and improving forecast accuracy by 30%. • Managed cross-functional teams to boost market share in key categories through S&OP, product development pipeline & three new product launches • Developed and mentored high-performing category teams, fostering a culture of accountability and continuous improvement, reflected in a 24% increase in employee engagement scores. • Directed supplier negotiations and facilitated long-term partnerships, to drive annual cost savings, extend the product portfolio, increase product knowledge and improve service levels. • Drove sustainability initiatives within the product portfolio, increasing eco-friendly product assortment by 50%, aligning with corporate ESG goals. Essentra Components, Oxford UK Essentra is a highly profitable manufacturer of 45,000+ essential industrial components. Production & distribution all around the world enables high levels of service and quality to +100K customers across many industries, ranging from Automotive, Medical, Consumer Appliances and many more. Global Category Manager April 2016 – August 2023 This role represents the culmination of the experience gained over a broad career encompassing end-to-end management of Marketing, Product, Supply Chain, Procurement & Sales teams. • Reporting to the CMO I was responsible for driving business growth in high potential industry sectors. • A clear understanding and presentation of market dynamics (OEM needs, competitor capabilities, pricing dynamics) gained approval to implement my strategy to drive growth in target markets & accounts. • Having established the industry focused approach, I became the company expert on technology in complex markets, covering EV charging, 5G Telecoms, Lighting & Medical. • This expertise allowed me to directly create industry-specific marketing targeting engineers by demonstrating Essentra’s capability in these markets. • During my stewardship, global sales & pipeline accountability for Medical OEMs & tier suppliers delivered 17% revenue growth from £7M to £8M between 2019-22. • This was made possible by inspiring sales teams through providing engaging training, targeted collateral, CRM tools and hot leads to win new business. • I project-managed initiatives to meet strategic goals: new products, sales support & marketing campaigns • 100’s of new products were successfully introduced based on approved business cases, meeting specific customer needs and driving incremental revenue • Stakeholder management has been critical to ensure effective cross-functional collaboration, coordinating global teams (Analytics, Product, Procurement, Supply Chain, Marketing & Commercial) Head of Category & Product April 2017 - April 2018 Reporting to the Managing Director (Europe), I had the pleasure of leading a team of five Product Managers and two Product Information Managers managing 45,000 globally manufactured and sourced products, selling into 16 European countries, generating £150M annual revenue. • The initial challenge was to upskill the Product Team to build a foundation of competence and commercial focus. To achieve this, I introduced an annual planning cycle to increase accountability and alignment across departments with an automated monthly reporting process to deliver valued insights for informed decision making. Customer and exhibition visits helped identify requirements and drive future development. • Product Champion Teams were created to capture and share market information with the sales team • +1000 products were successfully launched, contributing +£1M in annual revenue due to a stricter new product introduction process. • The new products were launched through large-scale marketing projects, including a new 800-page, 16-language product catalogue, achieved through close project management of the Marketing and Supply Chain functions. • The new catalogue provided an opportunity to cleanse the product data (descriptions, specifications, pack quantities, images & drawings) to enhance customer experience across digital and offline touchpoints. • I organised and hosted a catalogue launch and NPI training event in Eindhoven, for 200 commercial staff including suppliers from Europe and China, where product-specific marketing collateral and training materials helped inform salespeople to increase cross-sell initiatives. RAC, Western Australia With over 1.2 million members, RAC has evolved into one of the most trusted and recognised organisations in Western Australia. By providing roadside assistance, insurance, finance, car servicing and driver training it reinvests its profits to serve its members and the wider community. Marketing Manager, RAC Driver Training & Education Centre October 2013 – December 2015 Reporting to the RAC DTEC General Manager, I developed the marketing strategy as part of the strategic business plan to improve road safety through business and consumer driver training. • Justified doubling FY15 Marketing Budget from $250k to $500. • Successfully launched consumer marketing programs (Driver Enhancement Program offering free driver training for under 25’s) to increase engagement. • Led end-to-end website development and launch for B2B and B2C audiences, optimising digital presence. • Transformed lead generation strategy by replacing cold calling with social selling, increasing leads by 5x and client spend by +50% • Implemented a rapid tender response process delivering high quality corporate documentation that generated AU$2M+ as a direct result of successful Tenders. • Developed and executed comprehensive social media strategies, creating engaging content that significantly boosted reach and engagement • Achieved significant organic social media growth (e.g., 900% increase in Facebook followers), demonstrating strong content and engagement strategies. Product Manager, RAC Auto Services November 2011 – October 2013 Reporting to the Product & Marketing Director I delivered the annual product and marketing plan to generate demand for the 13 auto service centres across Western Australia. • Generated demand to support a $2M business turnaround ($1.4m loss to breakeven in 2 years). • Launched QuickCare, a low-cost car service, filling a gap in the Auto Services range which involved creating a tangible product brand in a service-based proposition • Leveraged QuickCare for Direct Mail campaign targeting households within Service Centre catchment areas. • Delivered AU$500K cost savings through negotiations with suppliers of oils, filters & consumables. • Implemented monthly Business Performance Reports to provide analytics for informed decisions. EARLIER CAREER Product Manager - Coventry Group (Automotive Aftermarket) Apr 2009 – Nov 2011 Technical Service Team Lead - Coventry Group (Automotive Aftermarket) June 2008 – Apr 2009 Product Manager – Legrand (Electrical & Digital Infrastructure) Jan 2005 – Dec 2006 Marketing Specialist - Delphi (Automotive Tier 1) May 2001 – Dec 2004 EDUCATION Chartered Institute of Marketing: Post Graduate Diploma in Marketing Solihull College,- BSc (Hons): Business Administration and European Studies Aston University,- A Levels: French, Economics, Mathematics & General Studies Exeter School,- PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES Disciplined senior leader with strategic marketing vision and professional application. Positive thinker with strong stakeholder management. Reliable team player who thrives on difficult challenges with confidence. Skilled at bringing clarity to complex situations and translating ambiguous concepts into tangible actions. Hardworking, trustworthy with a results orientated developmental focus. Pragmatic and works at pace to execute solutions. HOBBIES AND INTERESTS Travel: worked in Europe & APAC, enjoys exploring new countries and cultures through work and family holidays. Youth development: scout leader and football coach, fostering personal growth through my sons’ interests. Fitness: regular squash player and gym goer. Sport: enjoy watching and playing sports, especially football and golf. REFERENCES AT YOUR REQUE