Andrew Pinnington Chief Executive Officer, Huboo

Company

In mid-2017, Martin Bysh and Paul Dodd came to the market because they could see an opportunity do to ecommerce fulfilment differently and, as such, created Huboo – a full-stack, software-driven ecommerce fulfilment platform helping every size and type of business to grow. Their unique hub model creates service-led micro warehouses, putting people at the heart of an industry not known for it. For their clients this means higher quality service, and a human approach supported by flexible, end-to-end technology. In late-2021, Huboo raised a £60M Series B led by Mubadala Capital to help fuel their expansion into continental Europe. The funding round came after an incredible 24 months of growth, which saw the company’s revenues grow 10x in FY2020, and took Huboo’s total funding raised to close to £80M. Fast forward to today and their growth has continued. Huboo is now trusted by 1,200+ clients, the team has grown to 600+ FTEs, their footprint has extended across Europe (UK | NLD | ESP | GER), and revenues have grown to £40M+. The next few years will be spent pressing forward and working towards achieving their long-term vision of becoming the operating system for ecommerce businesses throughout Europe.

Search Background

The business had come an incredibly long way since they started in mid-2017 and Huboo was looking to bring on board a CEO to take over from the Founder, Martin Bysh. Both the Board and Martin were hoping to hand over the reins to an experienced GM and CEO to further capitalise on the opportunity that exists for Huboo. With the huge potential in the markets they currently operate within, as well as expansion into new markets, the incoming CEO would be tasked with determining the direction and trajectory of Huboo’s continued growth.

Requirements

The task was to find an experienced multi-functional GM and CEO, with proven experience of managing both commercial and technical disciplines. They would be an operator and executor, with skills in leadership and operational management, and able to drive performance. With Huboo being a complex business (software, logistics, and fintech products) and having a large and diverse workforce, the ideal candidate would be comfortable with and proven in a similarly complex (and international) environment. The CEO would need to understand tech-first businesses, but ideally bring experience of working with businesses with a physical or capital intensive component. From a stage point of view, the incoming CEO would enjoy the phase of business that Huboo was at. With plans to rapidly grow and develop the organisation, the successful candidate would bring stage relevant experience or, at the very least, demonstrate the mindset and skills for this stage of company development. Beyond this, the CEO would be a natural team leader, able to assemble high-quality teams and drive ownership and outcomes.

Result

Following an extensive pan-European search, Huboo appointed Andrew Pinnington as the new CEO at Huboo. Andrew is an experienced CEO that brings a wealth of expertise in various capacities across the tech, retail, FMCG, and consulting sectors for both privately-backed and public businesses. He comes with a solid track record of success in high-growth environments, turnaround situations, and businesses that are more mature in their life cycle and looking to drive change. He is without doubt an operator and executor, brings solid experience of operating in a highly complex environment, hugely enjoys the stage of business that Huboo is currently at, and is a natural leader and team builder.