J A M E S'  C.V.

Below is a general CV - If you require further detail on any aspect of my work experience please contact me:

James Lawrence-Jones

Mob: 07932 7336732

Email: james@lawrence-jones.com

P R O F I L E

An experienced and adaptable Operations Director within photographic, personalised and commercial print industries with a proven track record across manufacturing, product and process innovation / R&D, quality and sustainability policy development and management. A fast-learning proven people manager, driven and resourceful and experienced in defining production strategy and in solving complex issues and delivering innovative solutions. Thrives in a strategic, Operations role with regular change, complexity and innovation challenge. Leads with an engaging and socially intelligent management style that encourages innovation. Passionate and long serving, working within the photographic and personalised product manufacturing and technology industries for the past 28 years across start-ups, SMEs and MNCs to build sustainable, flexible and scalable manufacturing systems without compromising quality. Has comprehensive knowledge of the photographic and personalised product market, existing and emerging production technologies and processes, new product and process innovation and development opportunities. Internationally experienced, having lived and worked in the USA and travelled extensively for business across Asia, USA, Europe and the UK.

E X P E R I E N C E

Photobox – Group QHS&S Director: Jan 2022 – October 2022

Expansion of previous role to take on additional responsibility for Group Health & Safety and

Sustainability.

Key achievements:

·         Development and delivery of a cross functional / dotted line H&S team. Delivered lowest LTI rate for past 7 years.

·         Recruited for and developed merged group Sustainability team, programme, vision, roadmap & policies.

·         Delivered ISO 14001 accreditation across all merged group production locations and ZERO to landfill policy.

·         Full Group Carbon declaration reporting completed ahead of schedule.

·         5-year roadmap to carbon neutral defined and approved.

·         Integrated / on-boarded 2 x merged factory quality, H&S and sustainability staff (12) into Group.

Photobox – Group Technical & Quality Director:  May 2019 – Jan 2022

Expansion of the Group Technical Innovation role held since 2015 to add responsibility for definition, design and delivery of Group quality. Building a Group quality function from the ground up, developing the full quality programme including policy and roadmap, metrics and KPIs, training programmes, QMS, SoPs, RCA processes and budget control.


Key achievements:

·         Full Quality infrastructure and QMS programme design and delivery to budget.

·         Group team design, recruitment and development.

·         Delivery of SoPs in all production sites (over 300 documents in 4 languages).

·         Quality metrics and KPIs defined and beaten YoY since creation of function.

·         Internal rework and customer-driven redos reduced by 30+% since 2019.

·         On Target for ISO 9001 certification during 2022-23 (5 sites).

·         Definition and delivery of outsource production quality expectation ‘contracts’ and benchmarking.

·         Key programme stakeholder in sale and transfer of ownership of primary wholly-owned production locations in UK, Germany and France (assets, quality, products).

 

Photobox – Group Technical Innovation Director: Feb 2015 – May 2019

Reporting to the Group COO and C suite, I was responsible for identifying and delivering innovation opportunities across both wholly owned and outsourced production facilities. Working closely with production site managers, production area controllers and relevant IT development teams to; identify areas for improvement / opportunity, investigate and design suitable solutions and then project manage the development and delivery across the Group. Working in a Group role provided an excellent opportunity to ensure the use of best practice production and automation processes to improve productivity and reduce labour requirements across production sites whilst improving quality metrics and reducing waste.


Key achievements:

·         Delivery of industrialisation and automation projects delivering over 40% reduction in labour 2015-17.

·         Definition, management, negotiation and control of over £8+MM production capex investment budgets 2015-19.

·         Close working with key production hardware manufacturers to deliver Custom design engineered solutions and FOC beta testing in-house.

·         Development of 'bright ideas' culture including quarterly production and supply chain ‘Process & Product’ innovation days.

·         Process innovation to enable delivery of production capability to launch 18+ new personalised product innovations per year.

Photobox - UK Technical Production and Supply Chain Director:  Nov 2012 – Feb 2015

Responsible for accelerating development of Photobox’s UK operations and production capability, bringing focus to a set of critical objectives around new product launches, quality improvements, supply chain optimisation, production industrialisation, cost reduction initiatives and facilities management.

Key achievements:

·         1MM cost savings delivered through supply chain and Logistics projects in 2013.

·         Specification, management and delivery of 1MM head office relocation project on time and below budget.

·         Delivery of Production location expansion project on time and on budget 900k.

·         Introduction of Supplier audit process and KPIs delivering 25% reduction in inbound materials rejection rates within first 6 months.

 

Photobox - UK Production Director:  August 2010 – Nov 2012

Instrumental in growing Photobox’s UK production capabilities and performance. Developing new production solutions to deliver product innovations and industrialising UK production. Delivering improved DOT and quality metrics whilst expanding both in house and outsourced production.


Key achievements:

·         Relocation project and facilities management of full UK production and CS facilities to a new 50,000sq. ft. factory on time and on budget with zero downtime or customer impact.

·         Innovation, definition and delivery of 3D sublimation production process and new product ranges, delivering £1 million sales within first two months of launch.

·         Selection, negotiation & Delivery of additional offsite warehouse storage facility delivering savings of over £25k in first 6 months.

·         Product development and production capability delivery, in-sourcing and industrialising / automating canvas and mug production and in-house produced wall décor range.

 

Photobox - Operations Manager UK:  2008-2010

UK Operational responsibility (Production and Customer Support) driving continuous improvement through service initiatives and strategic project delivery to support development strategy.


Key achievements:

·         Expansion and overall management of the in-house call centre from 8 to 36 heads.

·         Requirement definition, sourcing, selection, ongoing development, management of Photobox’s first UK outsourced contact centre.

 

O T H E R  E X P E R I E N C E

Digital Railroad - Key Account Manager Europe:  2006 – 2008

Digital Railroad provided innovative online tools to the photographic industry to manage market and sell their digital assets.

Ground up development and growth of a European presence for the company. Included working / residency in NYC.

 

Pixology Software Ltd (www.pni.com) - Operations Manager:  2002 – 2006

Pixology (now PNI) is a leading provider of innovative online software and network solutions for the personalised gifting and retail imaging industry.

Responsibility for customer and technical support, Outsourcer production management, facilities management, client / server application updates, KPI reporting and full project management of key international accounts following Prince2 standards.

 

Metro Imaging (www.metroimaging.co.uk) - Online R&D Account Manager: 2001-2002

Metro Imaging is a leading London photographic lab.

Founding member of digital R&D / sales department responsible for the innovation, design, development, sales and implementation of online digital asset management and syndication tools.

 

Eyestorm.com (www.eyestorm.com) - Head of Operations: 1999-2001

Eyestorm.com was the premier online retailer for limited edition artworks by the world’s greatest contemporary artists and photographers.

Managing 12 full time staff and budgets across print production, warehousing, customer service and digital asset management. The role included sole responsibility for establishing Eyestorm’s excellent art world credibility regarding product innovation and quality.

 

Getty Images / Tony Stone Images - Design Studio Manager: 1996-1999

Getty Images is the world’s largest stock photo library.

End-to-end project management of all elements of the £MM marketing catalogue project including design, translation, printing, production, press passing, packaging, distribution and budget control.

K E Y  S T R E N G T H S

 

E D U C A T I O N & P R O F E S S I O N A L


INDUSTRIAL SOCIETY MGMT.

Training programme

(Coaching and appraisals) 2015

 

PROJECT MANAGEMENT (PRINCE 2) 2007

 

Team Building & Coaching Skills

2011

 

Negotiation & Team Workshops

2013

 

Change Management & Control 2011 & 2020


HOBBIES AND INTERESTS: Motorcycles, Photography, TaiChi and Music.

REFERENCES: Details available on request. Also: www.linkedin.com/in/jameslawrencejones