IFGlobal in focus - Jane Derbyshire, Sales and Commercial Director

Welcome to IFGlobal in Focus, our series spotlighting the people driving our business forward. In each edition, we chat with key team members about their careers, industry insights, and what’s next for IFGlobal.

In this edition, we speak with Jane Derbyshire, our Sales and Commercial Director. Since joining IFGlobal, Jane has played a key role in shaping the business's commercial strategy, strengthening client partnerships, and helping position IFGlobal as more than just a fulfilment provider.

With more than 20 years' experience supporting global brands and retailers, Jane brings a unique blend of commercial expertise, relationship-building and strategic thinking. Whether she's helping brands navigate complex growth challenges, expanding our sales capabilities, or ensuring clients get the most from their partnership with IFGlobal, her focus remains the same: creating long-term value and helping businesses scale with confidence.

Jane Derbyshire, Sales and Commercial Director

What initially attracted you to join IFGlobal, and what commercial opportunity did you see in the business at the time?  

To be completely honest, when I was first approached about the opportunity, I wasn't convinced it was the right fit for me. At the time, I had the misconception that IFGlobal (then I-Fulfilment) was simply a warehousing and logistics business, which didn't particularly excite me.

However, having known IFGlobal Founder and Chief Executive Officer, James Bartlett, and his family for many years through my time at Kondor Ltd (sister company to IFGlobal), I agreed to meet with James and IFGlobal Chief Operating Officer, Carlos Pestana.

What I expected to be a brief conversation quickly became something very different. Within the first hour, it was clear that IFGlobal was far more than a traditional 3PL. I saw a business at a pivotal stage of its growth journey, with ambitious leadership, a strong client-centric culture, and a genuine opportunity to become a strategic growth partner for brands.

The market was demanding more integrated, scalable and growth solutions, and IFGlobal had the foundations to deliver exactly that. Having spent more than 20 years working with brands and retailers in fast-paced, commercially complex environments, I believed I could bring a different perspective to the business, helping shape the commercial strategy, accelerate growth, and create even greater value for both existing and future clients.

What attracted me most wasn't simply joining a successful business but to help influence what it could become.

What sets IFGlobal apart in the fulfilment and logistics space? 

IFGlobal is not a traditional 3PL. In fact, internally we never describe ourselves that way because our business was built very differently from most 3PL providers.

Our origins lie in solving a real-world challenge. More than 20 years ago, our founder needed a better way to fulfil his own products globally and found that existing providers couldn't deliver the level of service, visibility and control required. Rather than accept those limitations, he built the technology platform himself.

That platform evolved into BladePRO, which, after significant ongoing investment, powers all IFGlobal fulfilment centres as our proprietary Fulfilment Operating System.

What makes our story important is that we were built around enabling growth, not simply moving products from A to B. We combine proprietary technology, fulfilment expertise and decades of experience supporting brands across retail, wholesale, marketplaces and direct-to-consumer channels.

Beyond logistics, we provide a range of growth services that help brands enter new markets, improve operational performance and create better customer experiences.

Ultimately, our role isn't just to fulfil orders. It's to remove complexity and create the operational foundations that allow brands to grow. That's why many of our clients see us as a strategic partner rather than simply a logistics provider.

What are your key priorities day-to-day, and how do you balance strategy with hands-on leadership?

I lead our Sales, Account Management and Commercial teams, so my focus naturally spans growth and client success.

One of my biggest priorities over the past year has been building out the team. We've brought in some fantastic talent across the business, raising the bar in terms of capability, energy and experience. The next step is continuing that growth, particularly as we expand our presence in the US.

No two days are ever the same, which is one of the things I enjoy most about the role. We work as an extension of our clients' businesses, so their priorities become our priorities. Whether it's peak trading, a product launch, international expansion or a major retail opportunity, staying close to what matters most to our clients is critical.

Alongside that, there's a constant balance between understanding the detail and thinking strategically about the future, whether that's refining our proposition, entering new markets or ensuring our commercial strategy aligns with operational delivery.

Ultimately, my role is about creating the right conditions for growth, both for our clients and for IFGlobal.

How do you approach building long-term client partnerships and driving sustainable revenue growth?

There are so many facets to building long term partnerships, starting with identification and alignment on the needs of the client and our understanding and ability to deliver against their priorities.

We've built a team of subject matter experts who provide support, guidance and practical solutions that remove pain points for our clients. That allows brands to focus their time and energy on product, promotional and customer experience activities while we take care of the operational complexity behind the scenes.

Our global footprint and breadth of fulfilment and growth services mean clients don't need multiple suppliers, agencies or partners to achieve their goals. We bring those capabilities together under one relationship.

At the heart of every successful partnership is mutual respect, communication and genuine care for the brands we support. That's why many of our clients stay with us for years, and why a proportion of our new business comes from client referrals.

What market trends or shifts are influencing your commercial strategy right now?

The brands winning today are those that see fulfilment as a growth enabler rather than a cost centre. Many are expanding beyond pure DTC into retail, marketplaces, wholesale and international markets. That creates new opportunities, but it also introduces greater complexity. Success requires experience, flexibility and the ability to adapt quickly.

Because IFGlobal isn't a traditional 'box-shifting' 3PL, we've spent a lot of time defining exactly where we add the most value. Our commercial strategy is focused on identifying the brands we can genuinely help and building collaborative partnerships that support sustainable growth.

How do you ensure alignment between sales, operations and the wider business to deliver on client expectations?

Clear communication is important in any business, but it's absolutely critical in fulfilment.

With every client operating differently and every retailer having its own requirements, understanding our clients and sharing that knowledge across the business is essential.

We encourage close collaboration between departments, with subject matter experts from across the business regularly engaging with client stakeholders. We also place a strong emphasis on business reviews to ensure everyone remains aligned around objectives, priorities and future plans.

We're at the scale where we can genuinely understand each client's business, adapt quickly when priorities change and still provide the commercial advantages and buying power to provide commercially competitive packages. 

What role does culture play in driving high performance within your sales team, and how do you foster it?

Culture is one of the key factors in our success at IFGlobal.

When recruiting, cultural alignment is the number one priority. We genuinely care about what we do;  we want to make a difference for our clients and have fun whilst doing it.  

Since joining IFGlobal, I've brought my teams together under one unified structure, with clear goals and a shared understanding of how every individual contributes to our success. We support one another, celebrate wins together and work collaboratively towards common objectives.

To let our hair down and get to know each other better outside of work, I've introduced regular team-building events and, as it turns out, axe throwing can be cathartic!

Looking ahead, what excites you most about our growth trajectory and your role in shaping it?

I feel fortunate to have joined IFGlobal at exactly the right point in its journey. The foundations were strong and the ambition for the future was clear.

We've built an amazing team and I can't wait to see what we can achieve together. We have exciting expansion plans both domestically and internationally, and I'm genuinely excited to help shape that journey while seeing the positive impact it creates for both existing and future clients.

Reflecting on your career, what experience or achievement has most prepared you for your role at IFGlobal?

Supporting hundreds of global brands over the last 20 years has probably prepared me more than any single achievement.

I've seen first-hand the challenges that come with scaling into major retailers, entering new markets and managing rapid growth. That experience has given me a deep appreciation of how critical fulfilment, operational excellence and customer experience are to a brand's success.

One achievement I'm particularly proud of was building a strategic partnership with O2 from an initial cold call into a relationship worth more than £18 million in annual revenue.

Those lessons continue to shape how I approach client relationships today.

Aside from the fulfilment and logistics industry, what else interests you?

I've always been a passionate sportsperson. Over the years I've played rugby and athletics at regional level, and tennis, hockey and netball at a local level. These days, I'm part of a ladies' football team and have somehow found myself in the role of Social Secretary. Spain November 2026, watch out!

When she's not busy singing, dancing or performing, I love spending time with my amazing daughter, Josie, supporting whatever new venture she's pursuing.

Quick facts

• A phrase that describes your leadership style
  I always remember a quote that had a huge impact on me: "A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don't necessarily want to go, but ought to be."
  My leadership style is hands-on and collaborative, with a strong emphasis on accountability, autonomy and growth. I stay closely engaged with my team, providing support while empowering individuals to take ownership, make decisions and develop their capabilities.

• If you could have dinner with anyone, dead or alive, who would it be and why
  I would love to have dinner with Nelson Mandela. In my opinion, his story of courage, determination, kindness and patience against all the odds is unmatched by any other human in living memory. I feel that an hour with him is something that would change your outlook on life forever. I highly recommend the movie Invictus!

• Advice you'd give to someone starting out in the industry

Embrace the opportunity and be prepared to learn, adapt and grow along the way.

Working with a talented team and supporting ambitious brands to scale across diverse markets and product lines is incredibly rewarding. No two days are ever the same, which is exactly what makes it such an exciting industry to be part of.

Commercially driven, highly collaborative and deeply invested in client success, Jane brings a clear vision for how IFGlobal can help brands navigate complexity and unlock growth.

From strengthening partnerships and expanding our global reach to building high-performing teams and evolving our proposition, her influence can be seen across every stage of the client journey. As IFGlobal continues to grow, Jane's focus remains firmly on being an operational growth partner for our clients.