Our Operating Partners have extensive general management and board level experience across a wide range of consumer goods sectors. They have experience of corporate and private equity owned businesses on an international basis spanning large, medium and small sized companies. Globally located, our Operating Partners work every-day in consumer businesses in the UK, Europe, Asia and Africa Middle East.
Our Operating Professionals are sector and/or functional experts and have a depth of experience in sub sectors such as food retail, consumer goods manufacturing, foodservice, distribution and in functional areas such as insight, buying, sales, marketing and finance.
 Steve Asplen has extensive management and executive board level experience within both corporate and private equity environments. He is currently Managing Director of Operating Partners International. Following a 10 year career with Mars Confectionery in a range of UK sales and commercial roles, Steve was Global Client Director for Unilever in an international consulting firm prior to joining Nestle to run the UK Out of Home Business across Beverages, Food and Confectionery. He then joined the Brakes management team as Sales and Marketing Director following the acquisition of the business by US private equity firm CD&R, subsequently completing as CEO a private equity backed acquisition of a speciality foods business.
Contact: steve@operatingpartners.co.uk
 Russell Fitzpatrick is an internationally experienced senior manager, having been appointed to the Boards of 4 Unilever plc companies and to the Chesebrough Ponds and Lipton acquisition integration teams. He is currently Chairman at Operating Partners International and CEO of an international insight, strategy and capability firm. Following international commercial experience gained in Unilever in a variety of consumer/customer marketing and sales roles he was appointed to the board of a global consulting business. He was subsequently Managing Director of Bic UK, with responsibilities extending to Chairmanship of Ireland, Scandinavia and General Manager of Sheaffer Europe.
Contact: russell@operatingpartners.co.uk
 Paul Fray is an experienced senior international manager with knowledge of corporate, private equity and franchise environments in a broad range of geographies and markets. He is currently an Operating Partner at Operating Partners International and Managing Director of an Asia based insight and consultancy business. Paul began his career with Proctor & Gamble in the UK and held a number of senior commercial board roles with P&G in both Africa and Asia before being appointed Managing Director of an international Management Consultancy in Southern Africa. Subsequently Paul was appointed Chief Operating Officer of a private UK Retail business.
Contact: paulfray@operatingpartners.co.uk
 Khanya Motshabi has a financial services background with a sixteen year career spanning private equity and empowerment finance, funds management and life assurance. He is currently an Operating Professional at Operating Partners International. Khanya is a former CEO of Futuregrowth, the first dedicated private sector financier of black economic empowerment in South Africa. He was the founder CEO of the National Empowerment Fund, South Africa; a dedicated black economic empowerment private equity and venture capital investor. He has served on the committee of the South African Venture Capital and Private Equity Association.
Contact: khanya@operatingpartners.co.uk
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