Graham CoatesAn innovative CEO/COO/GM

with over thirty years of international management

experience, all at senior level positions in multinational and

family-owned corporations

Graham Coates is a British national with extensive international management experience in numerous culturally diverse locations such as Asia (twenty years), Europe (eight years) and the United States (four years). He has demonstrated a record of sustained profitable growth, building world-class organisations and driving change for global, multinational and family owned corporations and entrepreneurial companies in the United States, Europe and Asia. Graham is skilled in P&L, Operations, Merchandising, Marketing, Customer Development, Business Development and Logistics.

Graham’s General Management expertise combines a unique leadership style of motivating, mentoring and strategic and tactical know-how to foster performance improvement.  Over the years, he has honed these ski l ls towards managing and motivating large teams through significant change, while achieving great results and improving bottom line performance via innovative programs both in back-end and frontline operations. He brings with him a wealth of experience that cuts through many retail formats and cross functions.

He is a visionary executive with global experience in conceptualising ideas, seizing opportunities, building operations, and creating new business development initiatives. He has carved out a blended

career path in all functions to seamlessly partner at all levels of company. He is a sound decision maker with savvy that gives the flexibility and ability needed to adapt to the dynamics of the market place.

He is an expert strategist with special focus on managing start-ups, turnarounds and rapid growth companies in emerging markets. He is recognised for sound fiscal management and del ivering P&L results that enhance profitability, reduce costs, and optimise shareholder value.

Graham is currently the COO for Century Properties Inc., one of the Philippines’ leading Real Estate Developers. He was tasked with building their first ever high-end mall within Makati City, the central business district of the Philippines.

Graham was previously the CEO for Metro Gaisano Group, a position that he was headhunted for by Amrop International, after having formerly worked with the Robinsons Retail Group as general manager for six years.

In the Philippine context, he has the unique advantage of being very familiar with all retail formats, the working environment of the country and the specific demands and challenges that the Philippines has for any senior executive. He has a permanent Residence Immigration status in the Philippines.

Executive Summary

Skilled in Strategy, Marketing, Customer

Development, & International Operations

Adept at managing high-risk, mission-critical growth, startups, turnarounds, and emerging markets, Graham is a dynamic, empowering leader who builds winning cultures fast via energising vision, customer focus, and teamwork.

Focuses on business intelligence

He strives to build and sustain strategic multi-cultural relationships across multiple business units to maximise global presence and growth. He identifies and meets the

needs of customers by providing value in ways that increase customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Builds credibility & trust

Graham adheres to corporate culture values and high ethical standards of behaviour by demonstrating respect, honesty and fairness when interacting with colleagues, customers,

business partners and stakeholders. He puts the right people in the right places and creates teams and/or organisational

structures to support high performance and advance business objectives. A person with Christian moral integrity, he is able

to relate to and create trust in all.

Sound decision-maker

He can solve even the most complex of problems. Not afraid of making tough decisions and taking ownership for them,

Graham keeps the bigger picture in view while adding personal wisdom and experience to come to the best

conclusion and solution. With an attitude of always moving forward, this dependable, reliable manager possesses a

passion and enthusiasm that encourages great team effort to produce genuine, long-term, and sustainable results.

Charismatic Leader

He leads by example, being proactive and hands-on with a walk-around style that is flexible, fair, and receptive to

optimise corporate performance levels with multi-cultural interpersonal communications skills. Creating a clear view of the future state, he mobilises people to focus efforts and work

toward key goals, providing coaching for today and for the future. A highly articulate, confident and persuasive team-builder, Graham is able to motivate and communicate to

achieve exceptional business performance.

Executive Summary

Delivers results

He tenaciously works to meet or exceed expectations by keeping self and/or others focused on achieving critical goals. Perpetually attentive to increasing Shareholder Value while

maintaining the bottom line, he prides in being solution-focused, profit-driven, and multiple task-oriented to optimise strong and sustainable gains. He is persistent and flexible in

his approach to all challenges thrust upon him.

Adaptable & flexible Graham is able to rapidly assimilate new concepts, industries and cultures, with flexibility to hit the ground running.

Change management skills

Modern; Challenged established business

practices

Implementing knowledge concerning Personnel, IT, Merchandising, Marketing and Operations, he brings in the benchmark of best practices across all the companies he has worked in. At the same time, by delivering creative solutions

to complex business problems, Graham’s change-management skills are exceptional, cutting across any

cultural or resistant mindsets.

Good commercial acumen

By delivering profit improvements in highly competitive environments, Graham has learned to be very KPI-driven.

Graham has experience in demanding and pressurised business environments in culturally diverse countries like Hong Kong, Singapore, Indonesia, Manila and Cebu. He is very familiar with the Asia Retailing World. After having honed his professional skills in London, he had further

refined his skills in the USA and the Caribbean.

Background: • Recruited by Century Properties Inc. through Viventis Asia to set up their first Mall

within Century City in Makati • Reporting directly to the Chairman, was tasked to come up with a high-end boutique

Mall unique in design and positioning • Mall, positioned as a real game-changer, opened to the public in February 2014 one-

hundred percent leased out

Responsibilities: • To lead the design team in the conceptualisation of the Mall working closely with

international designers from Singapore and local architects. • Currently tasked with developing retail recurring revenue streams in new and existing

projects of Century City • Project Management in terms of monitoring construction, timelines, costs and other

deliverables. • Drew up financial projections concerned with leasing, income generation, OPEX, cash

flow, etc. • Set up Operational Systems, Procedures and Organisation Chart. • Currently responsible for developing tenant mix in line with Century’s positioning,

bringing in new concepts international and local.

Accomplishments: • Presented game plan to the Board within three months, which enabled them to

understand all aspects of setting up a Mall and entering retail within the Philippines context: a first for Century as they have predominantly been involved only in Real Estate

• Drew up Tenant Hit List, Presentation Kit, Construction Guidelines, Operational Procedures, HR Org. Chart, Full Financials and KPI’s

Current Status:• In 2013, was promoted as COO to head all of Century Property’s retail expansion

opportunities, after having served as a consultant for his first two years • Does not have a non-compete clause in his contract with Century Properties

Work History

Philippines (3+ years) October 2013 — Present

Retail Development Director (Consultant)

September 2011 — September 2013

Retail Chief Operating Officer (Retail Group) Century Properties Incorporated

Background: • Recruited by global CEO/Board through a global search selection firm to lead

turnaround • Developed growth strategy after two years’ sales/profit decline • Responsible for entire business, covering  all aspects of the group

Responsibilities: • Hired to lead the reorganisation and drive strategic direction of Metro Gaisano for

both Supermarket and Department Stores • To strengthen organisation and develop skills of management team needed to

support the expansion plans of the group • To conduct a total review of existing procedures across all functions across the

company and implement best practices within each Department. • To manage the BOD through the transition of a traditional family owned company

to one of a professionally managed, KPI-driven organisation • Full Profit & Loss of the business units under the Retail Group • Main Contact in strategic partnerships with mall operators, international ventures

and brand/ concessionaire development

Accomplishments: • Drew up a complete five year Strategic plan covering all aspects of the business

including and not limited to growth opportunities, organisation gaps, IT strategy, Capex requirements and financial projections.

• Strategic plan was signed off by the BOD and a number of initiatives have already been implemented; Opened New stores and Renovated existing Stores to a higher standard thus driving up overall sales and profitability

• Immediately stabilised business. • In 6 months, reversed sales decline, halved profit loss, and developed a new

growth plan • Increased annual company performance index across all major areas of the

business

Background: • Recruited by the Gokongwei Group based in the Philippines initially as Retail

Consultant; Appointed General Manager of Robinson’s Department Stores after only three months

• Retail group consists of department stores, supermarkets, hypermarkets, convenience stores and specialty stores, the second biggest retailers in the country

• General Manager for the department stores and Toys R Us; also headed and developed market entry strategy for TopShop, TopMan, Dorothy Perkins and continued to advise on the other business units from time to time

Philippines (6 years) 2001 — 2007

Philippines (4 years) May 2007 — May 2011

Consultant Metro Gaisano Mall

General Manager Robinsons Department Store, Toys R Us,

Topshop, TopMan, & Dorothy Perkins

Responsibilities: • Responsible for full strategic direction and Profit & Loss of Robinsons

Department Store and Toys R Us, the number two retailers in the country in their respective fields

• Regularly reported to Executive Board on full performance of business, and outlining strategic initiatives, financial showing, market share and brand positioning

• Worked closely with international partners in the United Kingdom and Hong Kong to develop key partnerships and new business opportunities

Accomplishments: • Propelled the business to grow with sales in excess of two-hundred million US

dollars with profit levels higher than the industry average; overall trade is generated from thirty profit centres nationwide with two-thousand five hundred employees under his leadership

• Identified eleven best practices, benchmarking against International Standards, and created concept and process to transfer competencies across the stores

• Formed and led thirty-member cross-functional team that increased total sales force productivity by thirty percent in the first year

• Demonstrated the business value of developing and sourcing a number of new supplier relationships, enabling the company to improve overall assortment and ultimately sales and customer satisfaction levels

• Designed and implemented clearly defined strategic business development program with special focus on identifying and nurturing top talents in the organisation to take on higher positions, leading to a reduction in staff attrition levels

• Realigned management structure, directing the Executive team to be more professional and have an entrepreneurial mindset

• Setup and rolled out key performance indicators to all employees resulting in greater focus on business results and one-hundred percent involvement and ownership of targets

• Provided China product sourcing and joint venture partner guidance for importation of new product assortments throughout the store

Background: • Headhunted by Smith and Oliver Partnership UK as Operations Director for

Retail Division of Cave-Shepherd & Company, the last remaining family-owned traditional department store in the Caribbean with extensive local and duty-free operations comprising a 100,000 square feet flagship downtown store, specialty tourist outlets, airports, and hotel and cruise ship locations

• Annual turnover of approximately forty-two million US dollars with a four hundred-strong staff

• Perfume and Cosmetics sales of eight million US dollars per annum

Responsibilities:

Operations Director Cave-Shepherd & Company Pte. Ltd

Barbados (4 years) 1998 — 2001

• Reporting directly to the Chairman and Board of Directors with full accountability for the Profit & Loss Performance and Strategic Direction of the Retail Division 

Accomplishments: • Delivered year-on-year twenty-two percent sales growth compared to a previous

three-year trend of decline • Exceeded sales and profit budgets by fifteen percent and ten percent respectively • Initiated and completed business review and subsequently developed a 3-year

strategic development plan for the company

Background: • Headhunted by Amrop International Asia to join the retail arm of Humpuss

Group, the pioneer in retail Supermarkets in Indonesia, as CEO of Retail Operations, Supermarket Division

• Specifically recruited to review existing retail business and recommended overall strategy to improve sales and bottom-line profitability

• Appointed by founder Ricardo Gelael to formulate effective strategy for GORO Multi-grocer to compete with Makro Hypermarkets

Responsibilities: • Reported directly to the President Director and his board as CEO, having overall

accountability to achieve company targets on sales and profitability • Responsible for controlling all head office functions (including Finance,

Accounting, Merchandising, Marketing and Operations) in a coordinated response to the unique challenges of competing in the Indonesian retail sector

• Appointed by Asia President to create regional retail trade strategy and productivity improvement plan for one thousand three hundred direct retail stores across the country.

Accomplishments: • Improved company year-on-year sales by over twenty percent • Restructured overall organisation to facilitate rapid expansion plans of the

company • Formulated Standard Operating Procedures throughout each department of the

company • Conceptualised overall company’s Five-Year Operational Strategy outlining sales/

profit and growth plans, enabling Gelael to attain required financial from banking institutions

• Set up standard New Store Opening Procedures, enabling company to embark on aggressive expansion plans in the most cost-effective, productive manner

• Developed appreciation and understanding of the political sensitivity of the company in day-to-day dealings with government officials

• Set up one of the government’s biggest projects: to regulate cooperative retail outlets encompassing over twenty thousand units all over Indonesia

Chief Executive Officer Gelael Supermarkets

Indonesia (3 years) 1996 — 1998

• Enabled GORO Multi-grocer to compete successfully against local and international competition through effective merchandising, store planning and management

Background: • Headhunted by Star Executives (UK) to join DFS, the largest duty-free retailer in

the world with annual sales in excess of three billion US dollars, in 1993 • Changi International Airport voted the Best Airport Facility in the World for eight

successive years by Business World magazine • Recruited to review complete shop operations at the airport, culminating in

extensive shop renovations and product layout designs to stimulate sales growth • Successfully completed these renovations, shops are now seen as an example of

future layouts within similar airport concessions throughout the world

Responsibilities: • Responsible for annual sales of two hundred and forty million US dollars, making

it the third largest concession in the world • Overall accountability for total sales and profitability of all twelve liquor/tobacco

outlets at the airport, encompassing shop display, merchandising, in-store promotional activity, implementation of company directives, staff and management training, security, product development and customer service

• Extensive contact with CAAS (Civil Aviation Authority if Singapore) officials and government bodies on a day-to-day basis  

Accomplishments: • Turned around worldwide trend of decline associated within the liquor and

tobacco business, achieving sustained growth through innovative shop renovation, creative store promotions and commercially astute strategies

• Focused marketing initiatives targeted at all nationality groups that were recognised as being instrumental in DFS’ good performance

• Achieved the company’s biggest sales/turnover for the liquor/tobacco concession at Changi Airport

Background: • Controlled twelve Budgens Supermarket shops (the leading high street

supermarket chain in the UK) in Southeast England

Responsibilities: • Total responsibility and accountability for Southeast region group of twelve stores • Training and development of twelve managers covering all aspects of retail

management

Senior Operations Manager Duty Free Shops, Changi International Airport

Singapore (4 years) 1993 — 1996

Regional Manager Budgens Supermarkets

England (2 years) 1992 — 1993

Accomplishments: • Championed and supervised the opening of two new stores in the London district • Both stores opened on schedule, currently trading successfully

Background: • Headhunted by Hutchinson Whampoa Group • Introduced and implemented Western-style operational procedures and standards

to Park N’ Shop, Hong Kong’s premier supermarket chain • Promoted after one year to Senior Store Manager with responsibilities to set up

and manage the new flagship store, at the time the most up-to-date supermarket store venture in Hong Kong  

Responsibilities: • Overall control of shop and operations and bottom-line accountability

Accomplishments: • Set up a tailor-made training package of customer service for all Park N’ Shop staff

based on a series of classroom training modules, resulting in Park N’ Shop receiving a top retailer award in Hong Kong in 1991

• Opened Hong Kong’s most-up-to-date purpose-built superstore incorporating the best in technology including branch computing and checkout scanning with Western standards in range, layout and presentation

• Impressive results with sales ahead of projection and all major cost centers under budget with the initial stock result of point three percent sales

Background: • Joined Allders International (part of the Hanson Group, one of the largest duty-

free operators in the world) to broaden his retail skills • Learned all aspects of retailing, using management skills gained from previous

roles. • Progressed very quickly to Shop Manager; contracts included stints in cruise ships

plying the routes in South America, the Mediterranean, the South Pacific and Mexico

Responsibilities: • Controlled 6 main duty free categories (China, Glassware, Jewellery, Fashion

Boutique, Gift Shop and Perfume/Cosmetics) on board the ships

Accomplishments:

Hong Kong (5 years) 1989 — 1992

General Manager Park N’ Shop Supermarkets

Shop Manager Allders International Duty Free Operators

USA (4 years) 1985 — 1988

• Attained solid understanding of the duty free business in terms of product knowledge and the need to provide a very personalised standard of customer service for a very discerning type of clientele

Background: • ASDA, the second largest food retailer in the UK provider of a solid foundation for

Graham’s career in retailing

Responsibilities: • Senior Store Manager managing company’s third largest outlet (1985) • Store Manager responsible for daily operations (1982 – 1984) • Relief Store Manager in charge in the absence of the Manager (1980 – 1982) • Trainee Manager (1979 – 1980)

Accomplishments: • Completed initial management training scheme in company record of twelve

months • The youngest store manager in the company at the age of nineteen

Graham is a fifty-year old British national educated to the A-level standard. An avid family man, he has been married to Lori for nineteen years with two girls, Rachel (aged eighteen) and Rebecca (aged seventeen). Rachel and Rebecca are also British nationals. His wife Lori, a Philippine national, holds a degree in AB Mass Communications. She had a career in advertising in Manila and Singapore.  She is currently running the Philippine franchise of the UK headhunting company Antal International Philippines.

Graham is currently the owner and president of Antal International Philippines Franchise Executive Search. He is also the president of the Coates Charity Foundation, a non-profit organisation set up by his wife and him several years ago. All of their personal funds are coursed through the Foundation to support Christian missionaries, students, fellow church members, and others in need. He is the vice president and board member of HAND Philippines, an offshoot of HAND International, a Christian humanitarian aid organisation. HAND Philippines, with strong support from the Singapore Red Cross, will focus its resources and efforts on helping the short and long-term rehabilitation needs of the victims of Typhoon Yolanda.

Store Manager ASDA Stores

England (7 years) 1979 — 1985

Personal Information