Ros Rivaz

The RemCo Chair at Rexam Pl, and the former COO of Smith & Nephew, Ros Rivaz addresses the skills needed to be a great strategic leader  in today’s world, illuminating the various challenges and opportunities for modern businesses.

With extensive experience working with blue chip companies at a senior executive level, Ros draws clear and memorable examples from the manufacturing industry , supply chain, logistics and retail  sectors: for example, consolidating the Tate & Lyle manufacturing sites, and Smith & Nephew’s work to develop patient-specific replacement joints.

Ros is a strategic and pragmatic Board Director. Prior to becoming COO of Smith & Nephew, she held supply roles at ExxonMobil and Tate & Lyle; joined chemical giant ICI as the SVP of Global Manufacturing and Supply Chain; moved to international drinks company Diageo as Global Supply Chain MD and Chair of the board; and ran Operations and Supply Chain for Premier Foods.

Formulating a strategy in a risky world is no easy feat. For the food industry, the advent of 'healthy living' has placed companies such a Hovis and Diagio at unprecedented risk - GM, fat, sugar, tampering, alcohol abuse - while oil and gas company ExxonMobil has been subject to oil-price fluctuations, cyber-attacks and civil unrest.

Ros’s approach is a practical one: she argues that a flexible approach is important to create opportunity out of risk.

She also discusses what it means to be a CEO today. Should they sit at the top of a hierarchy or at the centre of a network?  How can CEOs build and leverage tools such as internal networking, distributed decision-making, and effective delegation?

Ros also talks about diversity in leadership, educating on how companies can achieve, and then draw the best out of, diversity at the top level.

In 2015, Ros was conferred an Honorary Doctorate from Southampton University.

Passionate about her subject, Ros delivers clear, strong messages that resonate with her audience.

Her speaking topics include:

- What and who is the CEO now

- Leadership and change

- Strategy in a risky world

- Diversity in leadership

- Supply chain as a competitive weapon

- Avoiding the M&A addiction