Name
Stuart Barber
Age
49
Job title
Chief supply chain officer
Company and location
Protein Works. Currently based in Runcorn but due to move to Speke, Liverpool.
Education
University of Liverpool - BA(hons) Economics
CIMA Qualified.
Favourite food/drink?
Food wise: a haloumi stir fry.
Favourite drink: It has to be a cup of tea: English Breakfast, no milk or sugar.
What inspired you to enter F&B?
I’ve always loved the fast pace of the food and beverage industry. My background is in FMCG, mainly related to food, and what keeps me engaged is how dynamic this industry is. How it’s constantly evolving with consumer trends and needs. Working with branded businesses means always innovating too, whether in supply chain, manufacturing, or NPD.
It’s an industry where you have to stay agile and creative, which makes it invigorating and highly rewarding.
Tell us about your role
My role covers the full supply chain end to end. From understanding the customer’s demand, to sourcing ingredients and packaging at the right quality, quantity and price, to planning the seamless operations from goods in, through manufacturing, fulfilment and out to our customers.
The focus is on maintaining cost and operational efficiency and ensuring everything is in place to deliver exceptional service to our customers, with the aim of not only meeting but surpassing their expectations.
What does a typical day look like?
A typical day at Protein Works is all about being in the details while keeping a wider strategic view. It’s a mix of hands-on involvement with operations and stepping back to focus on the bigger picture.
My day starts early. I wake up at 6am, have a quick breakfast (usually scrambled or boiled eggs), and check key emails before leaving for work around 7am and arriving at 8am.
Mornings are all about getting a clear picture of where we are operationally.
I walk the floor as soon as I get into work, check in on both sides of operations (i.e. manufacturing and fulfilment), and ensure everything is running as planned. We have daily review meetings with our senior managers in the morning to review performance and escalate key actions.
The rest of the day is a blend of short-term operational management and longer-term planning. At Protein Works we are focused on taking action based on quality management information, so I enjoy being able to meet with senior leaders across the business to review hot topics and drive actions.
At the moment, I should note that a big part of my focus is on our upcoming move to our brand-new state-of-the-art facility: PW Campus, in Liverpool. The first and last meetings of my day revolve around this move, and I work closely with key projects members to ensure we’re all aligned and on track with all critical actions across construction, system and IT infrastructure and transition of physical products. The afternoon meeting then feeds into a stakeholder review with the C-suite and founder.
Evenings are then a mix of family time and personal commitments: e.g. ferrying my youngest daughter to dance and other activities. I also coach the local girls’ under-18 football team on Tuesday nights and like to go on one or two runs a week.
How did you get to where you are today?
I got to where I am today through a combination of focused hard work, continuous learning, and a real drive to grow - with a lot of support from business mentors and leaders along the way.
After university, I was fortunate to start my career at Unilever, which gave me a strong foundation. But from there, it’s been about constantly developing: learning on the job, pushing myself, and staying focused.
I make a point of listening to podcasts on my commute, and really enjoy The High Performance Podcast which challenges my approach to work and life, while keeping up to date with Business and the economy with Wake Up to Money. I’m always diving into audiobooks for both professional and personal development, currently listening to the ‘Chimp Paradox’ by Professor Steve Peters.
When you’re having a bad day, what cheers you up?
My family and my teammates, 100%.
What’s your favourite part about the food sector?
I love how dynamic the industry is and how brands must constantly innovate in pace with consumer trends and needs.
If you could change one thing about the F&B sector what would it be?
If I could change one thing about the F&B sector, it would be the amount of red tape that businesses often must navigate.
Regulations are essential, of course, but I believe that a more collaborative approach between businesses and regulators would lead to smarter, more practical policies that balance compliance with innovation.
I’d like to see trade relationships across Europe improve because the complexity of cross-border trade, especially post-Brexit, has created unnecessary friction, making it harder to move goods efficiently. Easier trade routes and fewer bureaucratic hurdles would help businesses focus on what really matters: delivering quality products to consumers faster, both nationally and internally, without delays, complications, and/or excessive changes.
What’s next for you/what’s the dream?
What’s next is our move to PW Campus, a move that will improve our operational efficiency and supercharge our growth. All while expanding further into Europe by building a physical footprint and shaping the next stage of our supply chain as we scale toward £100 million.
The focus is on creating the best setup to drive sustainable growth for our rapidly growing base of customers around the world, who place their trust in Protein Works for their everyday nutrition needs.
