Name:
Holly Mobley
Age:
44
Job title:
Commercial director
Company and location:
Company Shop Group in Barnsley
Education:
BA (Hons) business studies, Nottingham Trent University
Favourite food/drink:
You can’t go wrong with a good cheese and pickle board paired with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc. That said, anyone who knows me will know there is usually a bottle of hot sauce close at hand - I’m always looking for an excuse to add a bit of heat to a meal.
What inspired you to enter F&B?
My passion for the sector started during my time at Cadbury, where I had the opportunity to work with one of the world’s most recognised brands. It was inspiring to be part of an industry that touches people’s lives every day and to contribute to growing UK sales while supporting customers with trusted products and brands.
While those early experiences sparked my interest, it was joining Company Shop Group that truly ignited my passion for the sector.
Working with leading retailers, manufacturers and suppliers to tackle surplus and reduce waste has showed me how the food industry can deliver both commercial success and positive social impact. Being part of that bigger picture is what continues to motivate me today.
Tell us about your role
Working at Company Shop Group has opened my eyes to the scale and complexity of surplus across the industry and it’s inspiring to be working with partners looking for new ways to stop perfectly good products from going to waste.
I’m fortunate to lead a brilliant team who work relentlessly on this, unlocking value for those partners and supporting end users experiencing food insecurity, through our award-winning social enterprise Community Shop.
What does a typical day look like?
No two days are ever the same, which is one of the things I love most about the role. A day could involve hosting a retail or manufacturing partner at one of our sites and showing them first-hand what we do (it’s so unique and fast-paced that people are often genuinely blown away by the scale of our operation and the impact that we have).
Or I could spend the day working with the team to identify where the opportunities are to capture more surplus. We’re continually investing in new technology and equipment, which enables us to redistribute surplus from pretty much anywhere in the manufacturing and supply chain, so working with our partners to see what new ways we can help is a key part of my role.
I like to spend time in operations warehouses, seeing the stock that we’re processing and seeing exactly how we can take a particular surplus product and make it safe and legal to sell in our stores.
I also like walking the shop floor to see how the products are working on shelf and how they’re being received by our members, this is a good way to understand the flow of products and get a feel for how things are selling.
How did you get to where you are today?
I’ve built my career with some fantastic businesses and over the years I’ve worked with brands and retailers including Cadbury, Asda, Unilever, Poundland, and Morrisons, gaining experience across different parts of the food and retail sector.
Throughout my career I’ve worked across multiple categories which has enabled me to develop extensive knowledge across the food and drink industry, allowing me to broaden my experience, learn from different business cultures and progress through roles relatively quickly.
Looking back, every role has taught me something valuable, but the common thread has always been a passion for people, commercial growth and finding solutions to complex challenges.
When you’re having a bad day, what cheers you up?
Whenever I’m having a tough day, I remind myself why we exist as a business. At Company Shop Group we’re helping reduce waste and get perfectly good food and drink where it was intended - on people’s plates. This is even more important within Community Shop which uses surplus to help people who are experiencing food insecurity to access quality, affordable food.
Knowing that the work we do has a real impact on people’s lives really puts things into perspective.
What’s your favourite part about the food sector?
The pace of the industry is something I’ve always loved. No two days are ever the same, and there’s always a new challenge, opportunity or trend emerging. But if I had to pick one aspect, it would be the retail side of the sector.
I’ve always been fascinated by how different retailers can be working with very similar products, yet create completely different experiences for their customers. The way they position products, build brands, create loyalty and bring food to life through their stores is incredibly clever. I find it fascinating to see how businesses continually evolve to meet changing customer needs while still maintaining what makes them unique.
If you could change one thing about the F&B sector what would it be?
Over recent years the industry has made huge progress to stop waste and redistribute more surplus but there is still more that we can do. Even the most efficient manufacturing and supply chains will create surplus, so making sure that it’s not just wasted is really important. Equally important is that redistribution is aligned to the food waste hierarchy and diverted to the appropriate sections.
If I could change one thing, it would be to make surplus prevention and redistribution an even greater priority across the entire industry. The environmental, social and commercial benefits are simply too significant to ignore.
What’s next for you/what’s the dream?
For me, the dream is simple: to maximise the positive impact that Company Shop Group can have on both people and the planet.
There is still so much opportunity to help retailers, manufacturers and suppliers do even more and unlock value from surplus products while ensuring more good food reaches the people who need it.
If we can continue to grow our partnerships, increase our social impact and further reduce waste across the industry, then I’ll feel we’ve made a real difference. For me, the future is about proving that commercial success, sustainability and social impact can work hand in hand to create lasting change.
