Martin Croteau

Overall strategic oversight of all sales channels (medical, wholesale & e-commerce), marketing, product development and customer service departments. Reporting directly to the CEO, responsible and accountable for sales and profitability growth of the company through the development of a robust commercial strategy that focuses on a multichannel approach.

• Continued North American expansion throughout Covid-19 pandemic
• Launched direct e-commerce in US and Canada increasing online sales to 8% of total sales
• Expanded product portfolio in 3 probiotic categories (capsules, drinkables & beverages)
• Restructured Canadian & US commercial teams to increase efficiencies and minimize costs
• Part of executive committee to oversee successful sale and transition to Kerry Group

Reporting directly to the Chairman/CEO, responsible and accountable for maximizing the value of the business and its profitability through the implementation and execution of a strategic business plan for the US market. Set in place the strategic vision and direction for the company. Build and lead the US team. Model and set the company's US culture, values and behaviors. Full responsibility of the US P&L.

• Expanded US distribution through development of new commercial and marketing strategies (new branding and product expansion)
• Implemented direct cold chain distribution and logistics for launch of Amazon e-commerce
• Restructured US sales and marketing team to provide better efficiency
• Optimized company's product portfolio to generate new business opportunities

Regional leadership for developing and implementing strategic growth plan for North America (USA, Canada & Mexico) across all commercial and support channels including Retail, Wholesale, E-commerce, Marketing, Operations, HR & Finance. Develop an omnichannel approach that will increase sales and brand awareness in North America while maintaining rigorous operational efficiency. Full responsibility of North America P&L.

• Set in place new distribution strategy in North America.
• Focus on direct-to-consumer with 5 new DOS and launch of e-commerce.
• Retail sales showed double-digit growth during my tenure
• E-commerce sales exceeded budget expectations by 83%.
• CAPEX for new stores decreased by 38% per square foot.
• Implementation of a new wholesale strategy & authorized vendor agreement.
• Overall 2018 profitability surpassed budget expectations.
• Establishment of franchising agreement for potential Mexico expansion.
• Transfer supply chain distribution from company-operated to 3PL (Kuehne + Nagel).
• Consolidation of client care activities in 4 centers (eliminated 3rd party centers).
• Set in place all commercial, support & administrative functions in NYC office.
• Assist European HQ in transition to new product line at manufacturing facility in Canada.

Regional leadership to position Moleskine at the forefront of innovative lifestyle brands. Develop a multi-channel approach, that includes wholesale, B2B, retail & e-commerce, to advance the company's mission and to promote sales, profitability and growth in the United States, Canada and Latin America. Oversee company operations to insure efficiency, quality, service, and cost-effective management of resources. Full responsibility of Americas P&L.

• Positive growth in all distribution channels.
• Launch of US E-commerce platform.
• Set in place new distribution agreement with Hachette group.
• Transfer from distributor-based logistics to 3PL (Expeditors).
• Set in place new Authorized Dealer Agreement.
• New store opening in LA Century City.
• Revision of trade marketing & merchandising practices for all markets.

Regional leadership for all China channels (Retail, B2B, B2C and E-Commerce) in terms of achievement of growth goals and the exploration of new business opportunities. Responsible for the definition and execution of the direct-to-consumer strategy and expansion plan for Moleskine in APAC. Full responsibility of China P&L and APAC Direct to Consumer P&L.

• Set in place Direct-to-Consumer strategy.
• Expansion of APAC retail network (20 new freestanding stores + 3 SIS).
• New market (South Korea), franchising partner (Kazakhstan) & channel (Travel Retail).
• Launch of e-commerce (Tmall.com & JD.com) & digital platforms (WeChat).
• 3-year Compound Annual Growth Rate at 18% at year-end 2016.
• Establishment of new store concept, operational and merchandising standards.
• Lease negotiations in China, Hong Kong, Singapore and South Korea (with exploratory touch-points in Japan, Malaysia and Philippines).
• Regional adaption of Moleskine Café concept for subsequent launch in Beijing (China).
• Set in place regional product strategy to increase sales and brand awareness.

Management of the sourcing office as a distinct business unit in order to achieve corporate objectives of all departments: Purchasing, Quality Control, Replenishing, Human Resources, Finance & Administration. Responsible for the continuous growth of direct sourcing and product development initiatives (around $130M FOB). Full responsibility of Shanghai Office P&L.

• Revised sourcing process to increase efficiency, velocity and quality for all private brand (5,000 skus)
• Increased scope of categories sourced in Asia with new product strategies
• Increased sourcing volumes by 15%and maintained annual average cost savings of 8%
• Participant in establishment of new Reno-Dépôt business model and store concept

Responsible for establishment of strategic growth plan and profitability of retail network composed of 37 stores operating under different business models (corporate big box, franchisees & affiliates) with a sales volume of more than $420M CAD. Management of all aspects regarding operations, marketing and merchandising in order to support specific needs of RONA retail network. Full responsibility of regional P&L.

Responsible for insuring profitability and growth of retail network composed of Big Box stores and affiliated stores. Controlled execution of all coherent programs related to increasing sales in assigned region. Full Responsibility of Regional P&L.

• Acquisition and integration of independent store in Pierrefonds (sales volume CAD $5m)
• Managed closure of Rona store (Loyola-Schmidt) for subsequent re-opening of Big Box store in same area (sales volume CAD $20m)
  Stabilized and protected financial results of big box network (corporate and franchisees)

Executive management of all departments (including Sales, Purchases, Marketing, Operations, Accounting and Information Technologies) for apparel retail chain with sales of CAD $40m and 300 employees across Quebec. Responsible for restructuring company following application of financial proposal in January of 2005. Successfully managed transition towards new ownership.