Press Release July 2013

Oliver Wight appoint new consultant from Caterpillar

Business improvement specialists, Oliver Wight EAME have appointed a new consultant for their European operation. Dawn Dent who joins from Caterpillar, is the second new consultant to join the firm in the last month. Oliver Wight EAME CEO, Les Brookes says, Dawn has huge global experience on both the demand and supply side of one of the worlds best known manufacturing brands. Her skills are a very valuable asset to our team. Dent has spent more than 30 years in industry and says one of the most common characteristics of organisations is their focus on product and people management. Process management tends to be neglected. To an extent thats because todays senior executives have risen up through functionally-structured organisations where you do well if you are a good leader of people or manager of product. But in my experience, those companies that give equal focus to process have a much healthier business as a result; particularly from a structural cost perspective. During her time at Caterpillar, Dent was responsible for an Oliver Wight Class A programme for Planning and Control and the evolution of the organisations global S&OP process into Integrated Business Planning. As global process manager, she took a lead role in the worldwide implementation of the companys new SAP ERP system. She is also an experienced practitioner of the Oliver Wight Proven Path to business excellence: Once Id learned the methodology, I just couldnt help but use it every day. When you know something works you just naturally apply it, she says. Dent has a BA in Modern Languages from Bradford University, and has lived and worked in France and Germany. She speaks French, German and Italian.

Notes to editors About Oliver Wight Oliver Wight has a 40 year track record of delivering business improvement to some of the worlds best-known organisations. With a team of professionals offering a wealth of experience, Oliver Wight is the largest consultancy of its type, with offices throughout Europe, South Africa, North and South America, and the Asia Pacific region. We believe that sustainable business improvement cant be delivered by external consultants but only by our clients own people, so unlike other consultancy firms, we transfer our knowledge to them, helping deliver performance levels and financial results that last. Integrated Business Planning At the leading edge of management thinking and practice, our Integrated Business Planning (IBP) model lies at the heart of our clients journey to outstanding business performance. Oliver Wight are the originators of sales and operations planning (S&OP) and IBP can most simply be described as advanced S&OP. However, unlike S&OP, IBP brings a truly strategic perspective, integrating diverse processes - in the extended supply chain, product and customer portfolios, customer demand and strategic planning - into one seamless management process. Supply Chain Design and Optimization Oliver Wight supply chain design and optimization allows organisations to understand their position within the extended supply chain; identify where value is being created and destroyed; develop profitable relationships with suppliers customers and consumers; and optimize their supply chain (however complex) for the ultimate in customer service and business performance. Performance Benchmarking for Supply Chain Oliver Wight Performance Benchmarking provides a qualitative and quantitative assessment of supply chain performance, allowing organisations to identify opportunities for improving customer service at the same time as dramatically reducing supply chain costs. Meeting the Class A Standard The Oliver Wight Class A Checklist is the longest standing and most successful business assessment tool. The latest, Sixth Edition, raises the bar, and sets ever more demanding standards for companies on their journey to business excellence and the Oliver Wight Class A standard.

More information Zoe Davis Oliver Wight EAME zoe.davis@oliverwight-eame.com www.oliverwight-eame.com Steve Lipscombe RONIN Marketing Limited +44 (0) 20 3326 5040 stevel@roninmarketing.co.uk www.roninmarketing.co.uk