Our People
We are a lean, young and dynamic organisation.
Our consultants are trained coaches who have lived the real commercial roles on both the buyer and seller side of the commercial equation.
This means we can bring relevant and insightful experience from both sides of the table for the situation or challenge your teams are facing.
David Sables, CEO
David has spent much of his career advising businesses on long-term development through category and consumer focus.
His knowledge of commercial practices stems from ten years at P&G, where he led breakthrough results with UK customers. Since then he has also developed a successful import business trading across cultures in Asia and Europe.
As CEO David established Sentinel in 2001 and has built a capability development group that delivers real, practicable and applicable commercial solutions to the challenge of customer, client and supplier leadership.
David and his team do much more than talk about business, they live it.
Our Leadership Team:
Andrew Thompson, Managing Director
Andy is a senior FMCG multi-category Commercial Professional with proven success in Sales, Customer Marketing and Purchasing, both in the United Kingdom and across Europe.
Prior to joining Sentinel Management Consultants he was Director for PepsiCo Impulse Accounts and Field Sales. During his career in Coca Cola and PepsiCo Andy has managed sales teams in all channels across a range of markets.
As Director of Customer Marketing Andy developed and implemented strategies to drive in-store execution and visibility; requiring development and execution of innovative and effective customer practices which lead to excellence in delivery and execution of commercial business plans.
Neil Spencer, Consultant Director
A Customer Management professional, Neil has extensive experience of all major trade channels, latterly with Britvic PLC. As Head of Training, he developed a strategic vision and plan for the sales team, delivering a framework to enable world class commercial skills and capability development.
As a member of the operating board he headed up business units in Grocery Multiples, Wholesale and Impulse; delivering market beating growth through major commercial, category & NPD initiatives.
Prior to this, Neil worked in a variety of commercial roles in the United Kingdom On-Trade for Bass Brewers Ltd.
Simon Borrill, Consultant Director
Simon has a leading track record in commercial sales, negotiation and business development across market leading companies across a range of markets.
His expertise comes from experience with companies such as Coca Cola, GlaxoSmithKline and Canon Consumer Imaging helping him to provide insightful and empowering training and strategic consultancy that is commercially focussed and results orientated.
Simon worked closely with United Kingdom and European retailers such as Tesco, Wal-Mart, Dixons Stores Group and SPAR Retail.
He has experience of a variety of markets and business cultures including Pan European, American, Australasian and Japanese. Simon heads up our Asia-Pacific office based in Sydney, Australia.
Steve Boyce, Consultant Director
Steve spent 10 years at Tesco in a wide variety of Buying and Marketing roles and 2 years as Buying Director of Blueheath, an internet enabled, delivered wholesaler.
Steve’s experience of the demands and pressure on the Buyer prove very valuable for our clients who find Steve’s ability to bring a real-life buyer’s perspective to any business situation highly insightful.
Andrew Grant, Consultant Director
Andrew has extensive Commercial Buying and Marketing experience gained at a senior level with a number of the United Kingdom’s largest and most respected retailers.
A graduate trainee at Sainsbury’s, followed by 13 years at Tesco UK and internationally which saw Andrew responsible for numerous product categories including Fresh Foods, Impulse and Non-Foods. He gained further experience of Entertainment categories at WH Smith and Beers, Wines, Spirits and Tobacco experience with both Thresher Group and Somerfield Stores.
He combines this comprehensive category knowledge with highly developed negotiation skills and an in-depth experience of category management and business development planning.
