Theo Paphitis Pens Open Letter In Search For New MD At Ryman

Theo Paphitis announced across his social media channels that he’s on the hunt for a new Managing Director to take charge at Ryman, a company he’s owned for over 25 years.

The Cypriot-born entrepreneur featured on BBC’s Dragons Den from 2005 until 2013 alongside the likes of Peter Jones, Deborah Meaden and Duncan Bannatyne. In 2015 he launched the Theo Paphitis Retail Group which encompasses Ryman Stationery, Robert Dyas and Boux Avenue, comprising over 350 stores and 4,000 employees who serve over 28 million customers a year. Now he’s looking for someone to take charge at Ryman, stating in an open letter there hasn’t been an MD for the last 5 years but admits “now is the time to put someone in the driving seat.” The open letter includes an email address for all “serious and credible applications”…

I’ll get straight to the point and pop my Talent hat on. This post-Covid era has created new avenues for businesses, and as I peek through the retail looking glass, now is the time to put someone in the driving seat at Ryman, a business I’ve owned for over 25 years now. This is an open letter in my search for the new MD of Ryman. Could it be you?  Well grab a cuppa, take some notes (hopefully in a Ryman notebook) and let’s colour in the picture...

Ultimately, I’m looking for the right person for the job.  Much like when I’m in Dragons’ Den, it’s all about the right person, rather than just the product or idea - it’s about what you bring to the table, but even more importantly how you bring it.  If you haven’t been an MD before, that’s ok and not essential, but I want you to think like an MD, talk like an MD and have the energy to own the role.  Previous Ryman MDs over the last few decades, and there haven’t been many, have included me as the first in my ownership, but we haven’t had one for the last 5 years and now we need someone 100% dedicated to the potential of Ryman bringing in new skills and, above all, an infectious energy to take all our Ryman colleagues on a journey of opportunity.  This role requires leadership skills coupled with ambition, an ability to focus on the digital side of the business, to nurture our service partners, live and breathe mobile commerce and bring an innovative edge to Ryman.  Sound good so far?

Ryman is a heritage business with over 200 shops, a consumer website and a B2B website that the MD will lead to repurpose and recalibrate to make the car purr loudly in this post-Covid era, focusing on the omnichannel nature of our business. Will you know your data, recognise the value of our colleagues and all touchpoints of the retail journey, and be able to carve out a clear strategy of where the business is going?  Most importantly, can you inspire the team to go on that road trip with you? 

This is a meaty opportunity of a lifetime, for someone who has the passion, urgency, energy, ambition, competitive view and innovative approach to own it.  I’m not looking for chancers who will hot wire the car (no need to apply, but thanks for reading), this is a serious and credible role. I need someone who has the tools to nurture all parts of the engine, recognising what areas make the difference to performance.

So, in the most unconventional of job adverts, do you have what it takes and deserve the keys to the Ryman car as its new MD?

All serious and credible applications to the Group People Director, Laura Keane, via RymanMD@tprg.com 

Good luck - I hope it’s you!

Theo Paphitis

Chairman