Simon Taylor

Product Manager, The Co-op

Product Manager with over 19 years of operational experience across the Food retail industry. Highly driven to create and deliver solutions which exceeds expectations and improves the lives of our colleagues and customers. 

Simon took on the role as Product Manager in June 2024 after completing over 10 years as a field operations manager where he led teams of over 350 colleagues, managed significant Profit and loss accounts and delivered significant growth within the areas he was responsible for. The Product Manager role has provided Simon with a wider breadth of knowledge within the industry he works in which he’s combined with his operational knowledge and ability to bring multiple teams together to deliver an industry first new concept across multiple stores.

Session: The magic mix: when multi-disciplinary teams come together to create innovation

Flexi checkout project is delivering an innovative bespoke built hardware and software for customers and colleagues, making the Coop stores truly convenient by adding the ability to self-service from any till point, whilst retaining the ability to serve in a traditional way. First to market in the UK food retail industry.

This level of innovation harnessed multidisciplinary collaboration through common values, clarity led purpose and inclusive practices.

Apart from the product innovation created, it engaged a new way of working by introducing new roles, changing team dynamics and igniting a shift in costumer behaviour. This was the result of the commitment and enactment of doing the right thing in the right way achieved through effective stakeholder management, meaningful application of change management approaches, integrity and servant leadership. 

The principle applied - in all the uncertainty and fog, it is our role to stay focused, keep direction and lead through integrity bringing colleagues along with us.