Company Directors

Simon began his career working for an auctioneer before founding Ultimate Products in 1997. Initially a clearance business buying discontinued and excess stock, with investment from Barry Franks who became the majority shareholder, Simon was able to grow the business into the full service sourcing and importing operation we see today. During the early 2000s, Simon began to source regular products from countries around the globe such as Portugal, Vietnam and, in time, from China. This led to investment by Lloyds Development Capital (LDC), enabling Simon to become the Chief Executive Officer and largest management shareholder in 2005. As the company grew, Simon was able to use his increasing knowledge to change the focus of the business in 2014, moving away from own label and unbranded products to fine-tuning key brands. This led to the buyout of LDC’s shareholding using personal money and support from HSBC. Simon leads the Group’s international expansion strategy and is directly responsible for the key trading functions of sales and buying, continuing to be the driving force behind the ongoing development of the Group, always striving for progression and innovation.

Andrew is a chartered accountant and started his career with Arthur Andersen where he held positions in audit and transaction support. In 1998, he transferred into industry, taking on the role of Finance Director & General Manager of Mersey Television, an independent television producer of continuing drama including Hollyoaks, Brookside and Grange Hill. He was a key member of their management team, which was backed by private equity investment from LDC in 2002, leading the sale of the business to All3Media in 2005. Andrew joined Ultimate Products in 2005, initially as Finance Director, and was an integral part of the management buyout team that year. In 2014, together with Simon Showman, he led the buyout of LDC using personal money and support from HSBC. At this point, Andrew was promoted to Managing Director. Andrew is currently responsible for Online and non-trading functions including finance, supply chain, human resources, IT and legal.

Chris has substantial accounting and financial experience from his time in the profession and as a Finance Director of private and publicly quoted companies. Chris began his career at Deloitte LLP where he spent ten years within audit, corporate finance and transactional accounting services. From 2017 to 2022 he was the Chief Financial Officer of AIM-Listed Franchise Brands plc. Chris joined Ultimate Products as CFO Designate in April 2022. He is currently also a Non-Executive Director of Silent Opera.

Alan spent the majority of his working career at HSBC plc, joining in 1975 and gaining broad experience through a range of management positions including credit and risk, retail, commercial, large corporate and global banking markets. Prior to his retirement from HSBC, he was Head of Corporate Banking in Manchester between 2004 and 2014. In the three years to December 2016, Alan has provided independent consultancy services to private companies on strategy, corporate transactions and refinancing.

Robbie is Chief Financial Officer of Holland & Barrett, Europe’s largest health and wellness retailer. He was formerly CFO of convenience retailer McColl’s Retail Group, prior to which he was Chief Executive Officer of motorway services operator Welcome Break Group, where he oversaw its takeover by Applegreen in 2018. From 2009 to 2017 he was CFO of building materials retailer Screwfix Direct Limited.

Jill Easterbrook was previously the CEO of Boden, the fashion retailer, having formerly worked at Tesco plc for 15 years in a variety of senior roles including Group Business Transformation Director, Chief Customer Officer, Managing Director of UK and ROI Clothing, and Group Strategy Director. Jill started her career in merchandising for Marks & Spencer Group plc, and also worked for four years as a Management Consultant for Cap Gemini Ernst & Young. Jill is a Non-Executive Director of two FTSE 100 companies – Auto Trader Group plc, UK’s largest automotive marketplace, and Ashtead Group plc, the international equipment rental company. . In August 2021, Jill was also appointed as Non-Executive Chair of Headland Consultancy Limited, a London-based agency specialising in financial PR, corporate reputation, public affairs and campaigning.

Christine Adshead is a former Partner at PwC, where she spent nearly 20 years providing transaction advisory services across a range of corporate activities and a variety of sectors, including retail and consumer goods. She was PwC’s London region private equity leader, as well as being a national leader for mid-tier private equity. Christine was also an elected member of the PwC Supervisory Board, the governance body for PwC in the UK which represents the interests of over 900 Partners and is responsible for providing constructive challenge to PwC’s UK Executive Board. Christine is a Non-Executive Board Member of Hill Dickinson LLP, an international commercial law firm headquartered in Liverpool.

Barry Franks served as a Non-Executive Director of Ultimate Products for fifteen years, stepping down from the Board in September 2020. Barry remains with the business as President in recognition of his outstanding and continuing contribution to Ultimate Products since its inception in 1997. He has 50 years’ experience in the retail and wholesale trade. In the 1970s and 1980s, he was Managing Director of Parker & Franks, a North-West-based retailer and wholesaler with 35 stores and 500 employees at its peak. In 1990, Barry left Parker & Franks and founded Barimar, a clothing importer and supplier to UK and European retail. During this period, Barry built up substantial experience in discount retailing and sourcing from China and South Asia. In 1997, Barry invested in Ultimate Products alongside Simon Showman, becoming the majority shareholder. This subsequently led to an investment into the business by LDC in 2005 and, at this point, Barry became a Non-Executive Director. In 2014, Barry invested alongside Simon Showman and Andrew Gossage in the buyout of LDC’s shareholding.