Managing Director - Digital & Commercial Retail

An exceptional opportunity to join two founder-led, fast-growing consumer brands in the accessories and lifestyle apparel space, each at a critical inflection point in their digital and commercial evolution.

Both businesses have strong product, brand DNA and customer followings, but now require a senior digital-commercial leader to professionalise trading, scale e-commerce, and unlock sustainable, profitable growth.

This is a hands-on, entrepreneurial MD / CCO role, working directly with the founders and taking ownership of the commercial engine across both brands.

The Role

The Managing Director / Chief Commercial Officer will own end-to-end commercial performance, with a clear mandate across e-commerce, digital trading, buying & merchandising, margin, and operational execution.

Key responsibilities include:

• Full ownership of commercial and trading strategy across both brands

• Lead e-commerce and digital trading performance, including revenue, margin, conversion, AOV and stock efficiency

• Own buying, merchandising and range architecture, ensuring the right product, depth and flow to support online growth

• Drive margin optimisation, pricing strategy and promotional cadence

• Build and scale a shared digital, trading and commercial function across both businesses

• Translate brand vision into commercially robust, data-led routes to market

• Establish strong trading rhythms, forecasting, stock management and performance reporting

• Partner closely with founders on strategy, budgets, cashflow and execution

• Act as a visible, credible senior leader across both organisations, balancing strategy with day-to-day delivery

This role combines digital leadership with core retail disciplines — product, margin, stock, trade and execution.

Candidate Profile

This role will suit a commercially sharp, digitally fluent operator ready to step into a broader MD / CCO remit.

Typical background may include:

• Currently a Commercial Director, Trading Director, E-commerce Director, Buying & Merchandising Director, or No.2 MD

• Strong experience within consumer brands — accessories, fashion, lifestyle or adjacent categories

• Proven track record of scaling e-commerce and DTC performance

• Deep understanding of online trading, buying, merchandising and stock management

• Able to commercialise product and brand through data-led digital execution

• Entrepreneurial, pragmatic and comfortable operating in founder-led SME environments

• Confident partnering with founders and influencing at board level

• Hands-on, detail-driven and commercially accountable

• Motivated by autonomy, responsibility and growth opportunity

Experience within design-led, premium or quality-focused consumer brands is highly advantageous.

Why Apply

• Rare opportunity to operate at MD / CCO level across two growth-stage brands

• Significant autonomy, influence and ownership

• Direct partnership with founders and exposure to strategic decision-making

• Opportunity to build a scalable digital, trading and commercial platform

• Ideal step-up role for a high-potential digital-commercial leader