Retail & Consumer Team

Green Park’s Retail & Consumer team operates at the forefront of the consumer revolution. From leveraging data and improving the customer experience, to engaging new markets through greater relevance and representation, we align our clients’ corporate and leadership strategy to build the right shape and skills mix required to compete in their markets.

We support major consumer businesses and retail brand owners, as well as newer entrants disrupting the sector, building high performing teams and supporting their journeys towards greater inclusivity. For many retailers, a trend of senior executives moving away from the sector, plus budget restrictions in difficult trading conditions, has heightened the challenge of finding and keeping the right talent. Our clients benefit from our cutting-edge sector insights and extensive diverse candidate networks, giving them access to customer-centric leaders who are keen to embrace new business models and digital marketplaces.

Our services span executive & interim recruitment, leadership consulting & development, organisational design and diversity & inclusion consulting. Our Retail & Consumer clients include fashion, lifestyle & luxury, grocery, general merchandise, specialty retail, department stores, and pure-play brands, both in the UK and internationally.

A Track Record Of Thinking Differently

Retail clients aiming to re-engage with their workforces through their leadership team look to our track record for placing diverse candidates capable of driving new thinking. Our data insights across different industry sectors broaden clients’ outlook on recruitment possibilities, by identifying leaders across-sector that can bring the skills they require and a fresh perspective.

We get to know our clients by understanding their business models and cultures, so we can fine-tune candidate selections for customer-facing, digital, trading, HR, finance and technology roles, in addition to executive and non-executive leaders. We are comfortable challenging clients on their perceptions about the skills that particular job roles will require and the inclusivity of their recruitment processes. This encourages clients to think differently, so they attract a wider range of appointable talent.

Building Employee Brand

We bring decades of experience supporting retail and consumer-focused clients, not only in executive searches but also by providing external insights, such as salary benchmarking and on organisational developments that other retailers are undertaking.

We know the challenges of seasonality and the pressure cyclical trading puts on retailers to attract talented candidates at the right time to drive growth plans with maximum effect. Clients can call on our well-established track record in diversity and inclusion to broaden their executive outlook and make their organisations more attractive to employers.

Our Diversity, Inclusion, Culture & Ethics Consultancy has a strong track record in retail, undertaking global D&I audits and assessments and helping build bespoke strategies to tackle specific recruitment and organisational culture issues.

business meeting with individuals shaking hands

Global Retail Thought Leaders

Green Park advises and leads a number of core Retail & Consumer bodies across the globe, giving us access to many of the world’s leading retailers. These relationships give us an unparalleled and unique view of global retail leadership.

We have interviewed over 200 retail boards around the globe on the key themes impacting global consumer leadership. We share our knowledge for the benefit of the industry, for example, our recruitment data has been used by Retail Week and we have co-hosted events with their Be Inspired leadership programme to drive diversity within the sector.

17years

of diverse talent mapping

55+

countries

50+

awards won

1000+

Senior Leaders Trained By Our DICE Consultancy

Evolving Role Requirements

Our lengthy track record in retail executive search and consultancy is backed by extensive sector knowledge, from retail seasonality to customer centricity priorities.

News & Insights

News

19 March, 2025

How to Be an Indispensable CMO

The proportion of CMOs with a seat at the top table is gaining traction as the business focus on customer experience ram...

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6 March, 2025

It’s Time to Stop Hoping for More Female CEOs - And Start Acting

This International Women's Day, Green Park's Managing Director, Jo Sweetland, highlights the lack of progress in appoint...

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18 February, 2025

Unlocking Your Potential: The Power of Transformational Leadership

Did you know that 70% of employees don't feel engaged at work? This staggering statistic highlights a critical issue th...

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27 January, 2025

Green Park Proudly Powers Race Equality Week and Launches GP Hai³: The World’s First Workplace Culture AI Coach

As co-founders of Race Equality Matters, Green Park is excited to announce Race Equality Week (REW) 2025 Feb 3rd - 9th, ...

News

6 January, 2025

Driving Productivity Through Inclusion

In today’s fast-moving world, building an inclusive culture isn’t just a buzzword—it’s a must fo...

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26 November, 2024

Why Chemistry Matters

Confidant, sounding board, safe pair of hands – our conversations with CFOs reveal just how pivotal their rel...

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19 November, 2024

Bend or Break - The Pain Game

“It ain’t about how hard you can hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.&rdq...

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28 October, 2024

Fit Isn't It

Kai Adams: Managing Partner, Head of Civil Society & Government (Executive Search) at Green Park My wife is re...

Testimonials

"Working with Paul Bullock starts off with a heavy interview, where he basically gains as much insight into your business as possible so he not only selects the correct group of people to interview, but also sells your business to make sure all parties understand the opportunities. Every time I work with Paul he has delivered." 

Jalil Rahman

Chief Commercial Officer, Orla Keily

“Jo Sweetland and her team at Green Park were fantastic during the search and interview process. They provided excellent communication with deep attentiveness and walked me through the process providing keen insights along the way. I felt very supported to ensure a smooth, seamless and professional experience with Jo.” 

Zenia Minwalla

Regional Head of Property @International Schools Partnerships Ltd

From start to finish, Juliet Hardingham and the Executive Search Team at Green Park were exceptional. Juliet took the time to understand the role and our organisation, delivering a strong, diverse shortlist for our Head of Government Relations and External Affairs. Her professionalism, insights, and clear communication confirmed we had chosen the right partner.

James Greenhill

Head of Global Executive Resourcing @Jacobs

David Sayers and the Private & Commercials team have for sure, been one of the best recruiting teams to work with throughout this process. The interviews were scheduled in quick succession, and I was kept in the loop throughout the hiring process. The feedback loop was smooth, and I never felt any hiccups in the process, despite there being an 8-hour time zone difference. Thank you for your support!

Uma Deepak

Senior Finance Business Partner @International Schools Partnership

We worked with Green Park to swiftly hire an interim Head of Operations. Simon Pickerell from the Executive Interim team was outstanding - he quickly understood our needs, delivered a strong and diverse shortlist over the festive period, and supported both us and the candidates throughout. Thanks to Simon, we’ve hired an experienced Head of Operations who’s a great cultural fit. Highly recommend Simon and Green Park.

Rhian Thompson

@Magic Breakfast

"Green Park's proposal had diversity at the heart, rather than just an add on - and this gave us confidence that in working with them we would be partnering with an organisation who held the same values as our own in this area."

Claire Burles

Group People Director | Stage Coach

"Jo Sweetland of Green Park is just the best. She absolutely IS Green Park. Hard working. Super smart and understands a client’s needs. Jo has deep market relationships and superb networks. She sets the benchmark for Search in the recruitment industry. I would never hesitate to recommend Jo Sweetland to anyone. A delight to work with BUT more importantly brings the best results."

Matthew Jeffery

Head of UKI Recruitment | EY

“Working with Green Park made this important and potentially challenging appointment process smooth and easy to navigate. The recruitment professionals that they assigned to the project communicated consistently and articulately with the variety of different stakeholders involved in the process; they were sensitive but did not steer away from being honest about the difficult realities involved in this recruitment campaign which resulted in expectations being expertly managed and trust being embedded. I would highly recommend Green Park for senior executive search campaigns, especially in the culture and creative industry.”

Charlotte Cowan

Head of People & Culture | Shakespeare's Globe

Get In Touch Today

Green Park's mandates span the Private & Commercial and Public Sector & Civil Society sectors, due to this many of our Executive Search and Interim roles are confidential and not advertised.

Please get in touch to find out about all available opportunities and we’ll be happy to assist.