Walker’s Shortbread is a globally recognised, family-owned Scottish food manufacturer, renowned for its premium shortbread, biscuits and traditional baked products. Established in 1898, the business has built a significant international presence, with products sold in over 100 countries through a combination of owned subsidiaries and distributor networks. With a strong heritage and long-term approach to growth, Walker’s continues to invest in its commercial capabilities, making it an attractive environment for FMCG professionals looking to make a meaningful impact.
The Brief
Walker’s were looking to appoint their first Global Revenue Growth Manager to lead the development of a newly established Revenue Growth Management (RGM) function — a strategically important appointment with responsibility for improving pricing governance and profitability across international markets.
Having invested in external consultancy support to develop pricing models, frameworks and processes, the business required an experienced RGM specialist to take ownership of these tools, embed them across the organisation and establish sustainable ways of working.
The position required a commercially astute and highly analytical individual with proven experience across pricing strategy, promotional effectiveness, trade investment and portfolio optimisation. With responsibility spanning over 100 international markets, the successful candidate also needed to understand the complexities of pricing across multiple channels, markets and distributor networks.
Beyond technical expertise, Walker’s were looking for someone entrepreneurial and comfortable building a function rather than operating within an established structure. The role required strong stakeholder management skills, the ability to influence senior leadership and a balance of strategic thinking with hands-on delivery.
Given the strategic importance of the appointment and the specialist nature of the skills required, Allexo were engaged exclusively to manage the search through our Partner solution.
The Process & Results
Following a detailed briefing with the Head of Commercial Strategy, Allexo conducted a targeted search of the FMCG market, identifying candidates with strong Revenue Growth Management experience and a track record of influencing commercial strategy within leading branded businesses.
Our search focused on individuals who could combine technical RGM expertise with the commercial understanding, entrepreneurial mindset and stakeholder management skills required to establish a new function. Particular consideration was given to candidates with experience across multiple sales channels and international markets, including grocery, travel retail and distributor-led business models.
We delivered a shortlist of high-calibre candidates with relevant RGM expertise, strong commercial acumen and the ability to operate effectively within a changing business environment.
The interview process included a practical commercial case study, allowing Walker’s to assess candidates' analytical capabilities, pricing recommendations and ability to translate complex data into actionable commercial decisions.
The successful candidate was offered and accepted, joining Walker’s from a leading global drinks business, bringing extensive experience in Revenue Growth Management and exposure to key relevant channels, including grocery and travel retail.
Their combination of technical expertise, international commercial understanding and stakeholder management experience positions them strongly to embed Walker’s new RGM capability, influence business-wide pricing decisions and support the company’s long-term profitable growth ambitions.
