Rob Pegg
- Specialism: Fractional COO and operational leadership; post-acquisition integration and buy-and-build operations; operational turnaround and performance recovery; warehouse, distribution and logistics operations; supply chain strategy; P&L ownership, cost reduction and margin improvement; operating model and organisation design; building and developing senior leadership teams; board governance, reporting and operating rhythm; scaling operations in businesses with 50 to 500 staff.
- Track Record: Next PLC (17 years, operational leadership); GXO Logistics (Head of Operations, £200m P&L, 4,500 staff); Alliance Automotive (Head of Operations); Elovate Group (Interim COO); Cristal Vista Group (board-level governance, leading post-acquisition integration); FlyForward (Chair of Trustees); RLP Advisory Services (Founder). FCILT Chartered Fellow; BA (Hons) Leadership, Imperial College London Emerging CEO Programme; author of From Floor to C-Suite (2025).
- Offer: Senior operational leadership for growing businesses that need a COO but don’t yet need, or can’t justify, one full-time. I sit in as your fractional COO 1 to 3 days a week, typically in businesses of 50 to 500 people, bringing 25+ years of experience at a fraction of the cost of a permanent hire. That includes: operational diagnostics and health checks; 100-day operational plans; operating model redesign; KPI frameworks and management reporting; cost reduction and margin improvement; warehouse and distribution performance; leadership team development; post-acquisition integration; board and investor reporting; interim cover during senior hires or transitions.
- Rob says: “You get COO-level experience for the days you actually need it, without the full-time salary. I fix how the business runs, so the plan in the boardroom shows up on the floor.”
- Try me: rlpadvisory.co.uk
I got started as a Portfolio Executive almost by accident. During a call for SCL Recruitment, my executive search business, a client asked whether fractional operational leadership was a service I offered. I said no. Afterwards, I researched it properly and asked myself, why not? It was exactly the kind of work I’d been looking for. I set up RLP Advisory in September 2025 and started writing about fractional working on LinkedIn to build a presence.
My first engagement came directly from those LinkedIn posts. Someone read what I was writing about fractional leadership and got in touch. That taught me early on that consistently sharing what you know, in your own voice, really can generate opportunities.
Along the way, I’ve learned that relationship building and pipeline building never stop. When you have clients, it’s easy to think everything is fine, but engagements end, and that’s when the worry about finding the next one can set in. Keeping your network warm while you’re busy is what protects you when you’re not. I’ve also learned that having skin in the game changes the relationship. When you’re building a business alongside the owners rather than simply advising from the outside, the impact can be far greater.
It’s working for me now because I’m involved with two businesses, both with an equity stake. One is an early-stage food logistics business, where I spend two and a half days a week on a paid fractional basis. The other is a commercial cleaning buy-and-build group, where I sit at board level and lead post-acquisition integration ahead of its first acquisition. The mix works because each draws on a different part of my experience, and in both cases I’m part of building something rather than simply passing through.
Looking ahead, I want to build a portfolio of three or four long-term fractional and non-executive roles over the next two to three years, alongside one or two shorter engagements that provide variety and fresh challenges. I’m particularly interested in growing businesses that need senior operational leadership but don’t yet need a full-time COO. That mix gives me stability, keeps me sharp and, most importantly, is where I believe I can add the most value.