Chris Jones and the JBSO Group provide deep experience, insights into markets, processes and technology, and the capability to
drive your strategic transformation by aligning people, processes, and technology.
Thirty years of experience working with brands, retailers, manufacturers, software innovators, and service providers, in the Fashion Supply Chain, Sales and Revenue Operations, Interim Management , and other industries, has enabled a range of services centred around three main pillars.
About Optimising Fashion supply chain processes and technology driving efficiency and sustainability.
Driving transformation aligning people,
processes, and technology via project or interim management engagements.
Creating and managing Sales Operations and Revenue Operations functions, processes, and integrated technology to support.
Advisory services powered by experience in fashion supply chain processes & technology, and Sales Operations / RevOps processes & connected Microsoft Dynamics 365 technology.
Business Value Assessment (BVA) of processes, calendars, technology with deliverable of executive summary with recommendations and a prioritised action plan.
Market analysis and technology insights for investors and and companies entering the market. Analysis services supported by many years of data, experience and relationships.
A range of project services are offered, such as process mapping, process re-engineering, technology evaluation, technology implementation, project management and oversight.
Interim management services are supported by the experience gained in leadership roles mentoring teams to successfully create and transform functions in global organisations.
After originally training and working as an engineer, Chris joined a fashion services and technology company 30 years ago to implement ISO9001. Since then, he has helped over a hundred fashion brands, retailers, sourcing agents, and manufacturers to optimise their processes supported by new technologies and concepts, working in offices, showrooms and factories world-wide. He has worked in leadership roles and as trusted partner, with the largest and best-known global brands, retailers and manufacturers, not only in the fashion supply chain, but also in other industries, such as Sales Operations and Revenue Operations, Management Consultancy, Marketing Services, Financial Services, Publishing, Pharma, CRO and other regulated industries.
Chris has the rare combination of business, process and technology knowledge and skills. Aligned to a creative, pragmatic and adaptable approach, innovative solutions are implemented in the most effective method according to the situation. An ability to quickly get up to speed in new situations and technologies enables both the big picture view, and to dive into the details. This is invaluable when mentoring teams to deliver transformation projects on time, on budget, and with lasting impact for the business.
He has brought leading process mapping and re-engineering skills and methodologies to transformation projects in many industries for nearly 30 years.
Architecting, integrating and implementing a wide range of processes, software, solutions and data for brands, retailers, sourcing agents, and manufacturers for 30 years.
End to end knowledge of the fashion supply change from budgets, planning, design, development, costing, manufacturing and shipping to retail operations.
Extensive knowledge of solutions such as: Product Lifecycle Management, Retail Planning, CAD/CAM, 3D and Digital Product Creation, Supply Chain Collaboration, Factory Order Planning, Costing, Fabric Optimisation. Sustainability measurement tools.
Experience creating Sales Operations 'from the ground up' and tranforming existing functions.
Defining, implementing and managing business processes for FY Planning, Quotas, Pricing, GTM, Commissions, Sales process including lead acquisition, qualification and opportunity to close, digital contract management, onboarding, knowledge team, etc..
Architecting and integrating connected business systems centred around CRM, including Marketing Automation, pricing, proposal and contract management, finance accounts, invoices and payments, Licensing Mangement, Time capture, Customer Data Platform, and data insights via real time dashboards and complex analysis.
Expertise in Microsoft D365 Customer Engagement, Customer insights and Power Platform, and have worked with Microsoft Product Groups, and been member of D365 Customer Advisory Board.
Proven history as a trusted partner to the CxO and teams of some of the largest and most successful global companies.
Deep insights to process and technology, combined with innovative solutions and pragmatic, adaptable execution have lead to many successful outcomes for these clients.
Contributer to Advisory Boards and thought leadership articles.
The inescapable forces of increased competition, evolving consumer behaviour, and new regulations are requiring businesses in the fashion industry to face new challenges to be successful. Whether you are a brand, retailer, sourcing agent, manufacturer, fashion technology vendor, or an investor in the fashion industy, I can help you to define, prioritise and action the transformation required for success.
If any of the issues or services in the examples below resonate with you, feel free to reach out.
Are you a fashion business whose team struggles to manage day-to-day activities with old, ineffective technology and disconnected, inefficient processes? Are you struggling to understand the best practice workflow and technologies to reduce timelines, improve productivity, boost innovation, reduce costs, and increase revenue? Do you need assistance streamlining your workflows and evaluating future-proof technology to support them?
Visibility and traceability across the entire fashion supply chain will be essential to enable brands, retailers, sourcing agents, manufacturers, and suppliers to be successful. The challenges to enable these changes may seem overwhelming, but I can help you digitally transform the complex fashion supply chain processes, often manual and unconnected, into a connected digital value chain.
I will help you define best practice workflow processes, evaluate the most appropriate and efficient technology to support them, and plan a manageable phased approach to digital transformation.
✅ Business Value Assessment, including a prioritised action plan.
✅ Process and technology strategy recommendations.
✅ As-Is Process mapping and definition of To-Be Best Practice processes.
✅ Scoping and prioritisation of objectives.
✅ Documentation of requirements and use cases.
✅ Alignment of relevant tech to your process requirements.
✅ Evaluation of technology, strategy, use cases, and technical partnerships.
✅ Business case and ROI.
✅ Mentoring internal teams.
✅ Project Management.
✅ Resource rapidly embedded within your team to boost capabilities for short-term projects.
Are you a fashion-technology startup? Are you creating new ideas and intelligent technologies for the fashion industry but unsure how to bring your new tech to market?
A fashion technology business must understand fashion's pain points and how your new tech will resolve these problems and deliver measurable ROI. It's these challenges that many new fashion-tech entrepreneurs find difficult, and in some extreme cases impossible, to navigate. So, what are the critical steps you will need to take to help create that much-needed visibility and awareness without costing an arm and a leg?
How do you translate your technology into the minds of the fashion brands and retailers that have been doing jobs in a certain way for decades? In that case, you must first understand how things are done today and "why". You will need to be able to navigate fashion's vast supply chain, along with its complex set of processes, which are often manual and unconnected, and you must prove your new tech value as part of a digital value chain.
Entrepreneurs sometimes crash at the beginning of a journey due to the many complexities they must navigate. You will need to consider the following basics.
✅ Market sector landscape analysis.
✅ Guidance through fashion's current supply chain and future digital value chain.
✅ Competitive analysis to ensure your idea really is that unique.
✅ How can your solution support a brand's, retailer's, or manufacturer's pain points?
✅ Evaluation and evolution of solutions.
✅ Proof of Concept projects.
✅ Business case and ROI.
✅ Proof of Value.
✅ Minimum Viable Product: what is the minimum capability you will be required to bring to market?
✅ Awareness & marketing messaging.
Are you an investor considering companies creating new ideas and intelligent technologies for the fashion industry? Do you need assistance to evaluate the market and the technology?
Any new venture must understand fashion's pain points and how the new tech will resolve these problems and deliver measurable ROI. It's these challenges that many new fashion-tech entrepreneurs find difficult, and in some extreme cases impossible, to navigate. So, what are the critical due diligence steps for assessing the market and technology and creating that much-needed visibility and awareness, in the event of investment, without costing an arm and a leg?
How does the startup translate the technology into the minds of the fashion brands and retailers that have been doing jobs in a certain way for decades? In that case, the startup must first understand how things are done today and "why". They must navigate fashion's vast supply chain and its complex set of processes, which are often manual and unconnected, and prove their new tech value as part of a digital value chain.
You must consider the basics.
✅ Market sector landscape analysis.
✅ Guidance through fashion's current supply chain and future digital value chain.
✅ Competitive analysis to ensure the idea really is unique.
✅ How can the solution support a brand’s, retailer’s, or manufacturer’s pain point?
✅ Evaluation of solutions.
✅ Minimum Viable Product: what is the minimum capability required to bring to market?
✅ Business case and ROI.
✅ Proof of Value.
I have had the pleasure of
working together with Chris on and off for over 30+ years. His career in
the fashion sector started when he came to work for Microdynamics helping build
CAD/CAM systems this gave Chris first-hand experience in pattern design and lay
planning, and from this point onward I have tracked his career linked to
design, development and manufacturing.
In later years his career
moved on to PLM which took him from factory operations to brands and retail
processes. His PLM & Merchandise Planning technology and process
experiences have challenged him to become deeply knowledgeable both from a
technology design standpoint and business process expertise.
He possesses an all-around
understanding of the technologies and digital workflow across the fashion value
chain. I have recently had the pleasure to work with Chris again on a
series of articles relating to environmental sustainability and its return on
investment, it was refreshing to work together with a like-minded individual
that possesses a vision for the future of the fashion industry. I would gladly
recommend Chris to any fashion business that is looking for deep expertise in
both technology and fashion best practice processes.
I have had the pleasure of collaborating with Chris and their team on multiple supply chain projects over the years. Chris is truly a world-class expert in the apparel systems and process space, and I would eagerly work with them again without hesitation. The fashion supply chain solutions in the apparel industry can be challenging and risky, but Chris and their team have a deep understanding of the nuances of our vertical. They have been invaluable in navigating the complexities and have consistently delivered exceptional results.
I worked with Chris during the formation of Coats Digital. He worked with the leadership team, driving several initiatives primarily focused on building the operating backbone necessary to create a high-growth software business… i.e., streamlined processes, supported by integrated business solutions, and underpinned by data architecture to generate insights that provided a significant positive impact on the business. Chris utilized his deep knowledge of the fashion industry, processes, and technical capabilities to prioritize objectives, create innovative solutions and powerful tools to increase productivity and deliver valuable insights for business decision-making. Chris collaborates well across the organization, dives into the detail / hands-on and drives outcomes. I have no hesitation in recommending Chris
I directed Chris to create a Business & Sales Operations function to enable greater control and visibility of the business for the Leadership Team, which he achieved rapidly with implementation of processes, cadence and tools to support business operations and deliver data driven insights. Chris is driven to achieve high level strategic objectives, whilst also being able to get hands on with the detail, and coach the team to success. His ability to easily collaborate with Partners, Vendors, and colleagues across the Group, with formation of cross-functional teams that deliver outcomes with positive impact to the business, is key to his successful achievement of transformation projects. Chris can rapidly get up to speed on new challenges and uses creative yet pragmatic solutions to deliver successful outcomes.
I've worked closely with Chris across a number of functional areas within senior leadership roles at Coats Digital. Initiallly, we worked together on customer facing PLM implementations where Chris expertly supported strategic direction of the product in addition to providing invaluable fashion industry contextual expertise. More recently we have worked on internally facing projects to support digitisation of process, process streamlining and internal business system implementations. Chris's work ethic is second to none, he has excellent attention to detail, strives for a successful delivery and is a pleasure to work alongside. I have no hesitation in recommending Chris
I have worked with Chris in different capacities over the last three years. Chris is a brilliant project manager with a strong work ethic. He has intricate knowledge of the Rev Ops function and was able to drive large automation projects around CRM, EDM, and connectors to Sales NAV. He has been pivotal in harnessing the internal systems to create meaningful insights in dashboards and reports, that have proven invaluable in driving the growth of the business.
Chris is very strong in communication, strategy, and execution, able to manage stakeholders on multiple levels, with clarity and focus, to achieve the desired outcome. Chris comes highly recommended by me for any senior Rev Ops/PMO/ Strategic role.
Dear
Chris, thank you and your team for the great partnership and for your
excellency – the conversations on innovative topics resulting in technology
improving the business with real ROI is what we are all striving for.
I
want to thank you again personally for the great partnership – it has been one of the most positive rides and one of the best
conversations on innovative topics with a customer we have had since GA of our
product close to 4 years ago, also benefitting Microsoft. I am
looking forward to the next project with you.
JBSO Group provide a range of adaptable services tailored to your requirements.
Please contact us to discuss your requirements.
For nearly 50 years, WhichPLM’s Mark Harrop has helped brands, retailers, and manufacturers make intelligent investments in technology and smart choices for process change.
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