From Legacy to Digital: How Strategic Leadership Accelerated eCommerce Growth

The Client

Our client, a leading school uniform manufacturer, has been in business for over 100 years. With more than 2,000 top schools relying on their products, they have built a reputation for delivering high-quality, comfortable, and durable school uniforms. The company’s strength lies not only in its history but also in its family-run culture, which has grown through strategic acquisitions of school uniform retailers. With a mission to help schools design and maintain top-notch uniform programs, they strive to make the shopping experience simple and efficient for families.

The Challenge

As a company with a legacy of strong traditional sales channels, our client needed to shift its commercial strategy to align with evolving market dynamics, particularly the growing demand for eCommerce and institutional sales solutions. They sought a Chief Digital Officer (CDO) to spearhead these efforts and lead the company’s transformation in both B2B and B2C sales. The role would be critical in delivering growth objectives, setting the company on a path toward a more digitally driven future, and ensuring that customers—whether schools or families—had a seamless experience from purchase to delivery.

The Role

The Chief Digital Officer (CDO) would oversee the development and implementation of all commercial strategies across digital platforms, leading the digital transformation journey. Reporting directly to the CEO, this role would drive both the strategic direction and operational aspects of the company’s eCommerce and customer success efforts. Key responsibilities included:

• Leading the commercial team and developing talent.
• Designing strategies to drive profitability in-store and online.
• Managing B2B and B2C sales, including institutional sales and partnerships.
• Aligning digital and customer success processes for growth and satisfaction.
• Overseeing P&L, budgets, and growth goals to meet objectives.

The ideal candidate needed at least 8 years of experience in strategic commercial roles, a history of managing P&L, expertise in driving digital transformations, and a collaborative leadership style with high emotional intelligence.

Our Approach

Our search strategy was comprehensive, and the hiring process focused on finding candidates with a proven track record of business development, a deep understanding of eCommerce, and experience in leading cross-functional teams through digital transitions. We targeted senior executives with experience in both B2B and B2C environments, ideally with knowledge of the school services or uniform industry.

We reached out to a diverse pool of candidates, including those with backgrounds in eCommerce, commercial strategy, and digital marketing. The geographic preference was for candidates based in Portland, Dallas/Ft. Worth, or the Midwest region, with a willingness to travel as needed for the role.

Key qualities we were screening for included:

• Experience in managing P&L and balance sheets.
• Strong customer-centric mindset.
• History of driving structural changes in digital businesses.
• Ability to build strong relationships with institutional buyers and consumer-focused customers alike.
• High EQ, excellent communication skills, and leadership potential.

The Placement

We successfully placed a candidate who brought over 6 years of experience in overseeing eCommerce sales operations for prominent platforms like Amazon, Walmart, and Zappos. He was uniquely positioned to make an immediate impact while aligning well with the company’s culture and values.

Why he was the right fit:

• He managed a $170M+ eCommerce business unit, driving digital sales through partner platforms.
• Key in developing and executing strategies that improved conversion rates and enhanced the online customer experience.
• Recognized for his authentic leadership and strong cultural fit, inspiring teams with a family-oriented approach.

His leadership experience, combined with his deep understanding of the digital commerce landscape, made him the ideal candidate to help steer the company through its transformation.

The Outcome

Since joining the company, the Chief Digital Officer has made significant strides in the company’s digital transformation. By refining digital sales strategies and optimizing the e-commerce platforms, he contributed to a noticeable increase in sales and profitability across key platforms. Looking forward, the company is already exploring further strategic initiatives, including expanding into new digital channels and deepening relationships with institutional clients. His ongoing leadership will be essential in positioning the company for continued growth and success in an increasingly digital world.