Robin Gray is a Principal with Columbus Consulting with extensive experience as a Planning and Allocation executive. Over his career, he has built planning functions from the ground up, as well as developed functions to maturity, and has sponsored and led the implementation of new planning, allocation and analytic processes, together with their associated systems. He has acted as the change management leader in integrating Planning and Allocation with Merchandising, Finance, Marketing, Store Operations, and Supply Chain, as well as for the introduction of new processes and systems. With a background that began in IT, these experiences result in someone who can move fluidly between the strategic and the hands-on, with the analytical skills to create bespoke solutions to meet today’s business needs.
Experience
Columbus Consulting International – Principal
As a Principal with Columbus Consulting, Robin recently worked with Five Below on a number of strategic initiatives including ERP replacement, allocation upgrade, and 3PL integration. Previously, he has worked with Urban Outfitters to select an E2E planning system and to revise their planning process. Other clients include The Children’s Place (allocation business process design and system implementation), Walmart (planning system replacement), and the Target Corporation (new allocation business process)
Dressbarn (Ascena Retail Group) – Senior Vice President of Planning & Allocation
Created the Merchandise Planning and Store Planning functions from the ground up to support the transformation of dressbarn to a vertical specialty retailer. Developed the company’s localization strategy, designing and implementing an innovative Store Planning process and system that made possible individualized store plans for over 800 stores with a team of 10 planners
Club Monaco – Vice President of Merchandise Planning, Allocation, & Logistics
Responsibilities included re-engineering planning processes to focus on right-sizing the inventory to the demand, resulting in record profitability and developing a process of sharing US-based inventory across all stores (US & Canada) without the need for any changes at the existing DC.
