Vital Pet Group, wholesaler and specialist in pet products, has recruited a new head of supply chain. Sean Kelly has over 14 Years’ experience within the pet industry and will be working with teams across the Vital business to bring about operational efficiencies. Also joining the company is Kevin Stewart-Rattray, who is the new operations manager.
Sean promises to bring a big picture view to his role, based on this experience in procurement and supplier management, NPD, operations, manufacturing and retail trading. Having worked in an impressive line-up of companies, including Sinclair Animal and Household Care Ltd, Kennelgate and Dobbie’s Garden Centre Group — where he was head of pet and with previous pet wholesale experience at Pedigree Wholesale, Sean has been warmly welcomed to the Vital business.
Sean says: “I’m very much looking forward to supporting and developing the team as we implement supply chain improvements across the group to support strategic business plans. We’re anticipating an interesting trading period in these unprecedented times and we’re certainly going to ensure that our operational capacity is fit for purpose, no matter how challenging the environment.”
Peter Sutcliffe group operations director commented that Vital’s customers will benefit from this appointment, “Sean’s role focuses around increasing the speed and efficiency of the flow of products to the customer. The global supply chain has faced significant issues as a result of COVID-19 and local suppliers have had to re-evaluate the availability of lines. While that local supply has largely been restored, there are challenges ahead and we want to make sure that we have a robust response and additional capacity in the future — regardless of the scale of the challenge. We’re delighted to have someone with Sean’s knowledge and experience join us so we can achieve that aim.”
Kevin Stewart-Rattray has over 25 years plus in logistics and warehouse management, working his way up through the ranks. He also has an institute of logistics and transport diploma in logistics and warehousing and is a certified internal auditor of safety, environment and quality management.
Speaking of his decision to take on the role of operations manager, Kevin describes Vital as a forward-looking company on a journey, which is striving to continually improve, “It’s a company where I can acquire new skills and use the wealth of knowledge I’ve gained throughout my career to take the business to the next level.”