Strategic Planning
The Body Shop
Senior Management Strategic Alignment
Strategic lead for Raleigh-based The Body Shop (300-stores) to create cohesive management for all of their key strategic initiatives.
The Body Shop indentified 37 key initiatives for the upcoming planning year – submitted by 9 different departments. Gray Cat’s role was to guide the senior team by: a) organizing their projects in a simple, one-page format by initiative; b) identifying the key steps to accomplishing their goal; c) mapping out the specific time table for each step; and d) assigning an owner for each key task.
The departments involved are listed below:
- Real Estate
- E-Commerce, Marketing & Merchandising
- Operations
- Finance
- Human Resources
- Canada & Mexico
Each of the key initiatives was condensed to a one-page summary and the departmental owners shared their plans with their peers in a series of senior leader meetings. The initiatives were compiled in a master key initiative tracker that linked the financials, broken pipes and time lines in summary fashion for the executive team.
Todd Meyer
Former General Counsel, Secretary & VP of Real Estate – Americas Zone, The Body Shop
“I was introduced to John when he assisted the company with respect to the project management of a number of initiatives. In addition to ensuring the timely delivery of milestones, John provided relevant, substantive input thanks to his vast experience as a senior executive in the Retail Industry, and was always selfless in providing guidance and input. I highly recommend John to any company seeking a seasoned executive with exceptional operational and administrative bandwidth.”
John Matthews, President & CEO, Gray Cat Enterprises, Inc.
John Matthews is the Founder and President of Gray Cat Enterprises, Inc. a Raleigh, NC-based management consulting company. Gray Cat specializes in strategic project management and consulting for multi-unit operations; interim executive management; and strategic planning. Mr. Matthews has over 30 years of senior-level executive experience in the retail industry, involving three dynamic multi-unit companies. Mr. Matthews experience includes President of Jimmy John's Gourmet Sandwiches; Vice President of Marketing, Merchandising, Corporate Communications, Facilities and Real Estate for Clark Retail Enterprises/White Hen Pantry; and National Marketing Director at Little Caesar's Pizza! Pizza!
