If you don’t know Olga Munroe it’s time you did. She became chair of the BPIF POS Display Group this autumn, where she is likely to make a real impact given her various professional guises, not least as head of the Retail Institute. So, what is she bringing to the table, and what does she hope you’ll put on it?
Your LinkedIn profile says that as head of the Retail Institute your role is to enable knowledge sharing and create an environment where academic research can act as an enabler for businesses. In September you also became chair of the BPIF POS Display Group. Can you elaborate on how you see the two roles marrying?
I always feel very privileged in my role to be working with practitioners, people who are passionate about their industries, and connecting them to academic knowledge that makes their decision making easier. Through the research of the Retail Institute, I often work with global brands, retailers and packaging supply chain, and the print sector fits nicely into this mix.
The core function of my role is problem solving, often on a strategic level and for people who lead innovation or organisational growth. How to best solve problems? For me, it is to understand it from multiple perspectives, across disciplines. For example, take the plastic problem. Plastic pollution is one of the most emotive environmental issues industries have had to deal with - it changed the way people purchase goods, and it changed the way retailers and brands want their products to be packaged or sold. The real problem here is our troubled relationship with waste - not seeing the value in protecting natural environments from leakage of toxic substances or pollutants. We now know that the challenge to solve plastic pollution lies in economics of plastic recycling and an inadequately funded waste infrastructure that makes it cheaper to ship waste abroad. One could also argue that the fault lies with the socio-economic system that thrives on excessive consumption. This is just one example of how complex those issues can be.
When I offered to chair the POS Display group, BPIF colleagues kindly connected me with some of the leaders in this sector. They helped me to understand some of the aches they’re experiencing. Issues with recruitment or aging workforce, disruptive print technology or increased operational costs. I am a big advocate of collaboration, and I believe groups, if they engage the right people, can bring about change and improvements to the whole sector by generating accessible knowledge. That is what we will do.
The retail sector is a core market for my readers and they are continually trying to improve their relationships with clients in that sector to build business. Are they missing any tricks - and can you help them learn them?
I think business leaders who deal with their clients day-to-day know exactly what the market demand is and how to respond to the needs of their clients. It might, however, be harder for them to react and adapt to socio-economic changes depending on their business size or monitor their market as a whole.
Perhaps, one ‘trick’ I would flag up to print companies is this balancing act of reactiveness and proactiveness in business contingency planning. Many businesses say they do long-term strategic planning, but the figures for SME survival tell another story. There are techniques you can apply as a company leader to help you keep the focus on the future, anticipate change and plan for the unexpected - we can teach you how to do that.
For large organisations my tip would be keep on top of climate emergency regulation. Support your supply chain in the green transition. You will be required within scope 3 emissions to report and work with environmentally minded entities. Prepare your partners for this now, for the good of your organisation and healthy network. I know many large players in the large-format print sector already do that, and it’s great to see such good practice. But it’s a continual learning journey. I do hope that through the life of the BPIF POS Display Group this something we can grow our knowledge on and share with others.
You mentioned to me earlier that you also head up a Government funded programme ‘Help to Grow: Management’ that could benefit print chiefs. What’s that all about?
Yes, I am glad you mentioned that. I am a director of a ‘Help to Grow’ programme (*) at Leeds Beckett. This is a 12 weeks’ executive leadership programme, which is 90% funded by Department of Business and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). Our current prime minister, during his time as a chancellor, secured £520m investment into this provision, delivered by UK’s top business schools. This is an exceptional course for anyone who wishes to improve their business performance, and worth taking advantage of if you meet the criteria.
Also, it’s easy to navigate and undertake - no assessments, no tests. You work on the growth plan for your own business - which is the key output plan you will implement within your company. Most modules are online, with only four face-to-face, so you get to network with your group. You also get ten hours of free consultancy from a professional mentor, and you can pick their area of expertise.
The programme is highly practical and aimed at personalised growth with tangible business results. At Leeds Beckett all your lecturers will be academics who are also business people, so they can relate to your realities. We have so many case studies on how successful it’s been for leaders and how it led them to growth, new capabilities, or new initiatives. It’s a great opportunity to become part of a huge regional business network - the alumni network. We meet regularly and many friendships are born this way - after all, leadership can be lonely, and it’s good to see people providing peer support to each other, irrespectively of their sector.
The programme covers topics such as management and strategic capabilities, growth plans, building resilience, innovation, digital technologies, value proposition, employee engagement, responsible business practices and sustainability.
Businesses with more than ten employees can put two leaders onto the programme, businesses with five-nine employees can put one leader forwards - each person would need to register separately. The next cohort will be starting in February 2023.
Information sharing is key to developing the BPIF POS Display Group roadmap, and industry actions key to project delivery, but I know there are internal frustrations that things aren’t happening fast enough. Where are the main sticking points, and what can print companies do to help move things forward?
Business knowledge is often seen as a ‘nice to have’. Companies prioritise here and now, and that is understandable. If you need new knowledge, you hire expertise with years of personal experience. However, there’s another way to approach such needs, so that you get this holistic viewpoint on where your business fits in the overall retail sector and what are the cross-learnings across segments. This can be achieved through collaboration.
For example, look outside of your immediate sector to find how packaging companies had to adapt to new market realities during recent turbulent years and how they are innovating with bio-feedstocks. You can also grow research capabilities within your own organisation, or in collaboration, to jointly gather market intelligence in your sector. After all, anticipation of obstacles and overall future focus is critical to any organisation.
The BPIF, as a trade organisation, plays such an important role to support you with this. Being a knowledge driven organisation is about thinking differently about how you gather market intelligence. It is about how everyone in your organisation can play a part in contributing to your shared values. It creates engagement and purpose for individuals too. If you are already doing this, that is great. If you prioritise day to day over long term, you might wish to reconsider this approach to ensure your business becomes sustainable in the long term. Make time for working on your business, not just in your business.
What is your overall message to those providing professional print services in this sector?
Let’s work together. Bring passion for your business to the table. Tell your story - your viewpoint to enrich ours. Share successes but, more importantly, also share challenges so that we can support you in finding solutions together. Collaborative platforms are highly effective. Become one of those people who drives change across your sector, and you will stay ahead of your competition.
*For more information please visit: https://www.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/business-services/support-for-small-and-medium-sized-businesses/help-to-grow-management/