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, leadership, industry insights, and what’s next for IFGlobal.
In this first edition, we hear from Paul Lavin, our Operations & Transformation Director. Paul plays a critical role in shaping how we deliver for our clients today, and how we scale for tomorrow. From process and warehouse improvements to software and team development, he's helping to build the operational engine that powers our clients’ growth.
We discuss Paul’s journey to IFGlobal, how he leads his team, and why our ‘People, Process, Platform’ mindset is more than just a slogan.
I’ve been in senior operational roles for about 17 years now. Before joining IFGlobal, I spent two years as Operations Director at an insurance company, and before that, I held various roles within the Currys retail group. I started at Carphone Warehouse in their B2C sector, then moved through several mergers, eventually becoming part of the wider Currys business.
I spent five years in B2C and another five in B2B, working closely with Carlos, who’s now IFGlobal’s Chief Operating Officer. When he joined the business, he reached out to say they needed someone to lead transformation. Someone who could launch projects, improve processes and create long-term, sustainable change.
At the time, I was running my own business, and IFGlobal (then I-Fulfilment) was one of my clients. What stood out to me was that it was a great family business with huge growth potential. I saw James, IFGlobal’s Chief Executive Officer, as an ambitious and capable business owner, and I saw a real opportunity to help scale something special.
The business had grown quickly and didn’t yet have the structures, processes or organisational design it needed to go to the next level.
Over the last 12–18 months, I’ve built out the team based on the same principles I used in my own business. People, Process, Platform.
Getting the right people in is crucial. Then it’s about understanding and refining the processes that support growth. And with BladePRO as our proprietary fulfilment software, we’ve got a platform we can tailor to meet both our needs and those of our clients. It’s all about laying the right foundation for success.
I came from fast-moving consumer goods, electronics and mobile, then into insurance. Logistics, fulfilment and warehousing felt like a natural next step. I believe that the People, Process, Platform principal transfers across industries.
While having logistics experience is valuable, I think not coming from that background benefited IFGlobal. It allowed me to bring a fresh perspective. Challenging what we were doing and identifying areas for improvement and growth that might’ve otherwise been overlooked.
It starts with understanding how our warehouses are performing. With global sites, our day doesn’t really stop. It begins around 9am in the UK and continues across time zones. My role is to identify issues and make sure the team has what they need to succeed.
One of my priorities has been bringing in more structure and forward planning. I should be looking six months ahead, anticipating what's coming and clearing the path. My direct team operates in the current month, and their teams focus on weeks and days.
It’s all about clear communication and strong people management. Getting the right people in the right roles, aligning them around a shared direction, and making sure everyone in the business knows what’s happening and when to keep things moving.
Things will go wrong in fulfilment and warehousing. You can have the best will in the world, with the best plan, and something will always go wrong because of the nature of the business.
There are so many handover points, from goods arriving on a dock somewhere in the world to reaching a customer's door. So, it becomes about choosing the right partners, building solid processes, and having the agility to respond quickly when issues arise. What sets you apart is how well you fix things in the moment. That level of adaptability is essential and I’ve really seen that play out here.
It’s about building great teams that want to improve client experiences and help businesses grow. When people progress in their careers, when they feel like they’re making an impact, that’s what drives me.
Employee satisfaction is one of the KPIs I care about most. I want people to feel proud to work here and feel they’re supported in reaching their goals, whether that’s buying a house, having work-life balance, or progressing in their career. I want to make sure we give them the opportunity to deliver what's important to them as well as doing what's right for the business.
Further global expansion. I’m excited by the roadmap we’ve built to open more fulfilment centres across the world.
The combination of our physical footprint and BladePRO software creates a unique hybrid model. For example, a brand could run their own UK warehouse using BladePRO while also using IFGlobal to manage their global distribution; all on a single platform. That kind of flexibility is powerful.
We’re always monitoring the global economic landscape, especially things like supply chain disruptions and trade policies (such as the recent Trump tariffs). These can have a real impact on how and where goods move.
We work closely with our clients to anticipate and adapt to these changes with them. Being a strategic partner and sharing early warning signs and opportunities means we’re helping them build more resilient operations.
Probably my time at Currys, where I led the integration of B2B operations across online, retail, and contact centres after the Dixons–Carphone Warehouse- Currys PC World merger.
We brought together multiple contact centres from different locations and unified them under one operational model. It involved huge consolidation, major service improvements, and better alignment between retail and digital teams. It was a massive achievement.
That said, what we’re building here at IFGlobal and with BladePRO will eclipse that. No question.
I work very hard, at an incredibly fast pace. Some say working with me is like working with the Energizer Bunny! I’m passionate about what I do, and that passion filters through the team.
Though, as I mentioned, people is always the first pillar in my world. I focus on hiring great people, giving them structure, recognising their work, and creating a space where they feel empowered and valued. I challenge them when needed but always with the intent to help them grow.
Many of the people I’ve worked with in previous roles are now here at IFGlobal. That says a lot about the environment we create. One where people feel supported and want to stick around. That’s what I’m proud of.
My family is everything to me. They’re the reason I go to work every day. My wife, Laura, is my absolute rock – we've been together for 25 years. I have two daughters. My youngest plays football and has just become captain of her team, and I’ve been asked to be assistant manager for next season, which I’m really looking forward to. My eldest is passionate about running and competes at school, so we spend a lot of our time cheering them both on.
As I’ve got older, I’ve realised how important it is to stay connected with friends. Life moves on – families, work, everything – and it’s easy to drift apart, so I make a conscious effort to keep in touch. Some of my closest friends are people I’ve known since I was two or three, and I still meet up with old colleagues whenever I can.
I also enjoy playing golf. A few of us from the team played recently and I somehow managed to win... even though there are better players in the team than me. Fortunately, handicaps exist!
If you could have dinner with anyone, dead or alive, who would it be and why?
Adam Sandler. I just love his films. He’s hilarious, but I also think he's done some good, serious acting lately as well.
Advice you’d give to someone starting out in the industry:
Be prepared. It's fast-paced and there's lots that can come at you, but it's massively rewarding if you get it right, and there are incredible opportunities for growth and impact.
High energy, clear direction, and a genuine passion for people, that's what Paul brings to IFGlobal. His focus on building the right teams, refining processes, leveraging technology, and planning ahead is exactly how we help brands scale smarter.