Rob Gilbert

At a glance:

Joined Baringa in
2015

Works across
Commercial, risk and strategic advisory in the energy sector

Book that influenced Rob the most
The Toyota Way by Jeffrey Liker

In detail:

Rob is a partner in our supply chain and procurement team. His first job out of university was the very definition of being 'thrown in at the deep end', but it shaped his career. He was a management trainee at Quantum Clothing Group. As a part of his training, he was expected to do a six-month stint in a factory - and he spotted an opportunity that interested him, turning around a textile factory in Cambodia. He volunteered for the role and set off across the world - armed with a copy of The Toyota Way, given to him by his manager and read on the plane journey to Asia. After 18 months, he and his team created a model example of a productive factory, with 1,400 employees, a school and a new canteen. And Rob had learnt as much about people as he had about operations, procurement and manufacturing.

The experience also paved the way for Rob’s entry into the world of consulting, and after two years working for another consultancy, he joined Baringa to help start the supply chain and procurement practice. Starting from a blank whiteboard (literally), Rob helped build up the practice, and he and his team now solve complex supply chain challenges for everyone from start-ups to FTSE-50 companies, always balancing practicality with possibility.

Rob’s clients say that working with him is a “high-energy experience”. He focuses on connecting strategy to real world operational problems – shop-floor experience stays with you. “Supply chains are complex, multidimensional things, when you are thinking about risk you must think about how that problem impacts the entire supply chain and all the people in involved.

His time in Cambodia also shaped the way Rob manages his teams. Just give them the right opportunities, he says, and they’ll do the rest. He’s immensely proud of his team – its quality and diversity, particularly its gender balance in a sector that’s known for the opposite. Every time someone new joins it’s like being welcomed into a family.

Speaking of family, Rob and his wife have four active children. They live in rural Northumberland, so most weekends are spent outdoors in the hills or on the beach, but he always finds time to read, and the copy of “The Toyota Way” is still on his bookshelf.