I have the pleasure of working alongside Martin Bailie as our advisory board member here at RETHINK Retail, and I cannot speak highly enough of his energy, professionalism, and global networking abilities. Martin is truly an industry expert in both grocery and fashion, with a wealth of knowledge and experience that has proven invaluable to our organization.

What sets Martin apart is his engaging personality and his ability to strategize to enhance our vision. He consistently brings fresh ideas to the table and has a knack for thinking outside the box. Martin’s dedication to our mission and his passion for the retail industry make him a valuable asset to our team.

I highly recommend Martin Bailie for any advisory or consulting role in the retail sector. His expertise, growth mindset and enthusiasm are the trifecta for impact. Any organization would be lucky to collaborate with him.

Martin is a speaker the entire leadership team at Retail Cities would highly recommend. Martin does an incredible amount of homework, adjusts his material to the situation, speaks clearly and directly. Martin is able to shine most brightly during Q&A.

The ultimate proof is how clients rate his appearances. A leading CPG company recently scored Martin 5 stars out of 5. Retail Cities will be inviting Martin back to present, we recommend him without reservation.

“I had the pleasure of working closely with @Martin Bailie and I can confidently say that he is a true asset to any business or project. Martin’s brilliance and insights have been invaluable in helping me navigate complex business challenges and opportunities.

His deep understanding of the retail industry and keen strategic thinking make him a trusted advisor and mentor. Martin’s global network and connections have opened doors and created opportunities that have been instrumental @ElephantSkin growth. I highly recommend Martin to anyone seeking a knowledgeable, insightful, and well-connected business angel. Helps massively he’s a Top-man also! “

Martin is a dynamic, creative, and hugely valued member of Quorso’s Advisory Board. He consistently brings innovative ideas and strategic insights to our business. These help shape our business and drive our success.

He effectively leverages his deep retail knowledge and experience to challenge our thinking, helping us deliver more value for our retail partners and stay ahead of competition. Above all, though, he has terrific energy and passion, which makes him an effective contributor from Day 1.

Martin is also highly unusual in being an effective business leader, with deep cultural understanding, in a wide range of cultures and geographies, ranging from Asia to Europe to the US. He is at home advising us about how to grow in Northern Europe, as in India, the Middle East and North America.

I wholeheartedly recommend Martin for an advisory role. His deep industry expertise, intellect, skills, cultural agility, and sheer energy will make him an asset for any organisation.

I had the pleasure of working with Martin on the Tata/Tesco JV in India. Martin is a seasoned Retail CEO with shrewd commercial acumen and exceptional ability to manage stakeholders. He clearly sets the direction for the company and a plan in the face of uncertainty. It’s quite visible that Martin as a business leader not only rigorously measures and manages all cultural elements that drive performance within his organisation, he also brings customer insights to build the right propositions for the customer. His retail know-how along with his leadership capability makes him an irresistible force in the retail sector. I recommend him strongly.

I have known Martin for a number of years within the hierarchy of the UK/IE retail sector. Since 2019, Martin, has led our Tesco/Tata JV as CEO. What strikes me greatly and immediately is his capability to understand his customer and build an experience that has proven successful, for the first time, in India.
His agility and true leadership values came to the forefront during the countries worst pandemic 2020/21. It is a direct compliment to him and his family on how well he navigated this, actually coming out even stronger than before. A trusted and growth oriented leader.

“Martin Bailie is a leader I have known , worked for , collaborated with over the past eight years. He is an extremely charismatic , dynamic , hard working executive with extensive experience in retail business. Martin is a leader who has coached , driven and empowered many teams to high performance. He has been involved in several business and cultural transformations. He is a leader with high emotional intelligence as well as very strong commercial capability.”

Martin and I were colleagues on the UK and Irish boards between 2012-2017. Martin has a natural, inspiring and inclusive leadership style that is both infectious & rewarding for all the teams he leads. Martin is extremely customer centric in all his decisions & strategies with a change management mindset that time and time again delivered results. Martin , and his team, were also Instrumental in a new operating model, in 2015, that proved decisive in the market share growth both in Lidl Ireland and Lidl GB respectively during his board tenure. His strong ability to stakeholder manage and motivate at the highest level certainly promoted and helped create a high performance culture in Lidl Ireland/GB.

“I had the pleasure in managing Martin in most of his 15 years in Lidl. Predominately in Lidl GB as his CEO. Martin has fantastic leadership qualities that galvanised the operations team of nearly 20,000. His ability to problem solve, explain the narrative with all stakeholders & above all drive operational excellence with the entire team, really was a strength he demonstrated in each of the roles he was given in his career. As COO he brought great energy, clarity and compelling growth. Martin was an asset to both boards- Ireland and GB.”

“Martin is a big-picture thinker who is action-oriented – which makes him joy as a coachee. He is reflective, very ambitious, and driven by a strong set of personal ethics and values. He is inclusive and future-focused which makes him the leader you want to trust in a globally mobile organization – because he looks to add value that is contextually specific. Best of luck Martin- it’s been a privilege knowing what shapes your leadership.”

“When I first met Martin I knew immediately he was destined for RETHINK retail’s Advisory Board. Martin has an elite level of today’s retail knowledge & a real curiosity in the future of the retail industry. His passion for our sector is simply infectious and down to his extremely successful career with the likes Lidl & Tesco. Combine his deep transformation expertise & his true value-retail experiences, of over 20 years, with a humble appetite to advance his own learning curve. You have already a great board advisor! However it is Martin’s professional character, personality and values that make him stand out from the crowd. I wish him every success in his new journey with RETHINK retail and the world of advisory.”

Martin is an exceptionally talented leader, who has a real passion for getting the best out of people and driving change. He was one of the most supportive and engaged leaders I have ever worked with and was a great source of guidance for me as I embarked on my own leadership journey. Martin promotes and cultivates a great sense of teamwork and always ensures that recognition is delivered to those who have earned it. Despite his demanding position he was always approachable and willing to offer advice or direction.

I had the pleasure of reporting to Martin in both his roles as COO in Lidl Ireland and Lidl GB. Martin creates a culture of trust and empowerment. Martin was instrumental in developing a collaborative culture focussed on operational excellence at Lidl. Martin’s charismatic approach, combined with his consistent drive for improvement, positively engaged team members throughout the entire business. Martin cares deeply about his people and was a mentor to me as I took on my earliest senior management roles, guiding me and advising me throughout and continues to mentor me personally as my career develops. Martin is an exceptional leader who lives the culture that he aims to develop.

Martin is an incredibly passionate and capable leader. Having worked with Martin for several years in both Ireland and UK, to see up close the drive, energy and commitment he brings was a great learning experience. A natural leader within any team setting. Martin is a real people person who brings the best out of those who work with him, whilst always maintaining a strategic focus on the task at hand.

Martin is an extremely passionate leader who puts culture at the forefront of his priorities.

“I have had the pleasure of working with Martin as a colleague and also reporting into Martin when he was CEO. Martin brings a high energy, inclusive and inspiring leadership style focused on delivering results by developing the team and giving them every opportunity to succeed, whilst being fully engaged along the way. I have always been supported and challenged by Martin in a way that has helped me to continue to develop myself and I am sure that all others who have worked with Martin will feel the same way! Martin blends a true customer view of retail with excellent technical knowledge to set achievable yet demanding goals for organisations – a true asset to have as part of the team.”

“I met Martin in summer 2022 and since then he has supported us @Alteri on several projects. Martin brings real strategic insight and a diverse skill set to bear in any retail sector.
importantly for us, he has deep expertise in transformational implementation systems and processes. Martin was able to support all stakeholders in explaining and understanding today’s specific market challenges with tomorrow’s growth opportunities. We look forward to working with Martin in 2023.”

“Martin is a committed and forward thinking retail leader, with a results driven mindset. He brings a highly motivational leadership style that demonstrates energy and passion, driving enthusiasm and commitment from those working with him. His breath of experience in different businesses and cultures brings a range perspectives which enrich strategy and drive innovative solutions.”