every organisation ought to be aware of…
The Emmett Effect
⤵️ A career littered with Administrations & unprofitable results 📉
previous victims
Emmett's path of destruction
Chief Digital Officer - Nestware Holdings
May 2021 - May 2023
> When the tumbler of whiskey and revolver were passed to Sean Emmett, Nestware Holdings remained as hugely unprofitable as when he was recruited. Emmett adopted but worryingly continued presiding over the same business model created in the late 1980s by Phil Harris, founder of Carpetright. Namely, discounted sale bursts after more discounted sale bursts, whilst drastically running down sales of newly acquired businesses, were the results. #BAU - nothing radical, nothing revolutionary, nothing intuitive. Just no change.
Flooring Megastore was acquired by Nestware Holdings in February 2021. In January 2024 it was taken offline after failing to deliver acceptable growth. Emmett's leadership failure, not to mention a colossal waste of senior management time and money, is concerning. The Emmett Effect.
Group Digital Director - Carpetright
Sep 2020 - Apr 2021
Director - Em Consulting
Mar 2019 - Aug 2020
> Tried self-employment until a lifeline was thrown his way
Managing Director - Wilko
Feb 2018 - Feb 2019
> Aug 2023 Wilko enters Administration. The Emmett Effect.
Multi-Channel Director - Wilko
Jul 2016 - Jan 2018
Digital Director - Jaeger
Nov 2015 - Jun 2016
> Apr 2017, Jaeger enters Administration. The Emmett Effect.
Marketing and eCommerce Director - Everest
May 2015 - Oct 2015
> June 2020, Everest enters Administration. The Emmett Effect.
Associate Digital Director and Omnichannel - Pragma Consulting
Jan 2015 - Apr 2015
> Emmett's shortest role listed on LinkedIN. 4 months.
Multi Channel and Marketing Director - Bonmarché
May 2013 - Nov 2014
> Financial woes reported in 2011 but eventually entered Administration in Oct 2019. The Emmett Effect.
ECommerce and Marketing Director - Jessops
Jun 2010 - Feb 2013
> Jan 2013, Jessops enters Administration. The Emmett Effect.
eCommerce Director and Multi Channel Consultant - M&S
Mar 2008 - Jun 2010
> A quick Google search will reveal this period to have been M&S' worst. The Emmett Effect.
Head of Next Directory eCommerce and Marketing - Next
1999 - 2008
Photo by Jared Murray on Unsplash
Evaluation of Sean Emmett
While recognizing Emmett's lengthy career, it is vital to consider certain aspects that might be pertinent to your assessment when considering employing his services, especially in light of the challenges faced by his previous employers.
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Collaboration and Team Dynamics:
Emmett struggles to foster effective collaboration within his team. Despite substantial infrastructures having been available at his disposal, there is discernible difficulty in aligning team efforts towards cohesive, meaningful goals. Countless protracted meetings overshadow the working environment, with little to show for the invested time.
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Strategic Vision and Business Growth
One of the more concerning aspects is Emmett's apparent difficulty in formulating and executing a clear business strategy. The desire for continuous meetings appears as a substitute for any form of robust strategic planning. This lack of clarity manifested in the difficulties faced in scaling up revenue for a micro-revenue business of Nestware's, a challenge that, given the available resources, should have been easily achieved.
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Project Execution and Timelines
Of note is the extended timeline it took to deliver key projects under Emmett's leadership. Example - 500 days to revamp an e-commerce website whilst at his most recent employer's businesses, despite no apparent financial constraints, raises questions about project management and efficiency. Equally concerning was the amount of senior team management time involved and consumed in this project.
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Acquisition Challenges
His approach during the acquisition of new business units, such as attempting to influence a change away from the owner's tongue in cheek email address before discussing fundamental business strategies, was indicative of a lack of understanding of priorities and an unusual focus on trivial details. He will mention team building as one of his strengths but it took Emmett precisely 100 days before meeting, face to face, one of the then just acquired Nestware business' staff.
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Previous Employers
It is crucial to mention that all of Sean Emmett's previous employers – Jessops, Bonmarche, Everest, Jaeger, and Wilko – unfortunately went into administration post, or during, his tenure. While it's essential to consider broader market conditions, this pattern raises concerns about his impact on the financial stability of the companies he led.
Did they fall into Administration because of his leadership, or is it that failing businesses, when recruiting, identify with his character and trait? Whatever the reason, it's un undeniable grim statisitc that no Director or C-Suite executive would want to be attached to.
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Conclusion
Emmett's performance suggests a misalignment between his capabilities and the demands of his roles. The inability to deliver tangible results, coupled with a seemingly disjointed approach to leadership, raises concerns about his suitability for roles that demand strategic vision, efficient project execution, and effective team collaboration.
All these factors should be considered, along with the historical context of his previous employers, when evaluating his candidacy.
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Photo by Cédric Dhaenens on Unsplash
A thought
If Sean Emmett had entrepreneurial flair, belief and indeed was effective, would he be working for himself or would he be working for an organisation?
Emmett has a default setting of hiring Marketing Agencies to create visuals, tone of voice and so on, in fact, all the type of tasks he ought to be delivering himself with his internal team. This trait will come with a 6 figure final bill for each project.
At the highest level of senior leadership, this points to a lack of ability, intuition and creativity.
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Photo by Kevin Turcios on Unsplash
Factoid
The average duration in position, for a UK CEO, is 56 months.
Since holding Directorship positions (2008 onwards), Emmett's average tenure is just 23 months.
Cut through the bull
Glossary to some of Sean Emmett's buzzwords (and waffle)
Seasoned - Journeyman. Not able to hold position long before being found out.
Track record of success - Sound brash. May help avoid having to prove it.
Driving Innovation - I will need to hire Marketing Agencies.
Seamless Omnichannel businesses - Once the Marketing Agency has created an idea I will deliver but I will lose the 'dressing room' on the way and I will take considerably longer than I should.
Diverse Digital Experience - Journeyman. Not able to hold position long before being found out.
