About

Management Team

Alan Morris - Executive Chairman

Alan Morris is the company's Executive Chairman and one of its founders. A skilled business systems practitioner and visionary, Alan has driven the company forward from a concept to a £multi-million turnover organisation.

Alan began his career in the mid 1980's with the Sears Group (UK), including Foster's Menswear and Adams Childrenswear, managing major projects throughout the entire supply chain. In the mid-1990's Alan observed a gap between the retailer and the IT solution provider, to bridge this, he set up retail IT services company Compass Retail Associates with his colleague Gary Broughton. The business later evolved into what is now Retail Assist.

Gary Broughton - Chief Operating Officer - Merret

Gary Broughton, Chief Operating Officer - Merret, is the second of the company's founders.

Gary started his career in store management with the Sears Group (UK), becoming the youngest Store Manager of Foster's Menswear at the age of 17. He took professional qualifications in Human Resources and training and subsequently worked in retail training roles. In 1990, Gary became a freelance Consultant / Project Manager, specialising in retail systems and their supporting networked services. In 1995, he formed Compass Retail Associates with Alan Morris, and was instrumental in developing the business into Retail Assist in 1999.

Nigel Illingworth - Chief Executive Officer - Merret

The third co-founder of Retail Assist is Nigel Illingworth, Chief Executive Officer - Merret.

Nigel previously held a number of senior roles within blue-chip companies such as Ladbrokes, HSBC and Syntex Pharmaceuticals. In 1988, Nigel founded his own business, Grantfort Computer Systems (GCS) which provided solutions for the retail sector. Successive years saw him supporting the creation of Retail Assist, whilst maintaining the GCS business. The two businesses were highly complementary and frequently collaborated in retail client accounts, making his appointment as a Director a natural one when Merret and Retail Assist came together in 2007.

Dan Smith - Chief Executive Officer - Managed Services

Dan Smith, Chief Executive Officer - Managed Services, joined the Board of Retail Assist in 2004, bringing with him more than 20 years' experience in multi-site manufacturing and retail support.

Dan had spent fifteen years in IT project management, outsourcing, application development and service delivery on a 24x7 basis across international boundaries. An MBA graduate of Henley Management College, Dan was awarded the Henley Prize for Excellence in his graduate year. A major part of Dan's career was spent within the Courtaulds / Azko Nobel Groups where he created the UK Service Centre that became the first business worldwide to achieve ISO9000/20000 and BS7799 (Information Security) standards.

Tim Moxon - Chief Finance Officer

Prior to joining Retail Assist in 2004 as Chief Finance Officer, Tim Moxon had been providing the company with property consultancy and had managed the acquisition of its new Nottingham headquarters.

Tim's earlier career spanned a number of finance positions within the Boots Company Plc. Most notably, he became Financial Controller of the prescription pharmaceuticals subsidiary, Boots Pharmaceuticals, before playing a significant role in preparing what was a £500 million worldwide turnover business for sale to BASF in 1995. Tim subsequently joined BASF to manage their UK property and insurance portfolio. Tim is now responsible for all the corporate and financial elements of the Retail Assist business.

Get in touch:
+44 (0) 115 853 3910
info@retail-assist.co.uk