Geoff Scowcroft
B.Comm, CA
Chief Financial Officer
Geoff began his finance career in an accounting role with Associated Wholesalers.
After completing a B.Com degree at Auckland University he then spent 15 years with the major food retailing group Woolworths (NZ). His last position there was as Financial Controller where he was responsible for all finance functions including Company Secretary and treasury duties.
Geoff joined Briscoe Group as Chief Financial Officer in October 2002 with responsibility for finance, IT and administration.
Andrew Scott
Chief Operating Officer
Following the completion of a BA honours degree in Business Studies, Andrew began his retail career with Matalan Retail Limited in the UK. Andrew held many leadership roles including heading up the product merchandising, international and e-Commerce functions.
Andrew’s career has included working with many of the world’s best international retailers across the UK, Europe and the Middle East. More recently Andrew headed up Planing and Supply chain for BigW Australia part of the Woolworths Australia Group.
Andrew came to New Zealand in 2016 and was CEO of Torpedo7 Group, subsequently held other leadership roles within the Warehouse Group focused around the Transformation programme.
Andrew joined the Briscoe group in 2019 as Chief Operating Officer and is accountable for the Retail Operations, Store Development, Product Merchandising and Marketing functions.
James Baillie
General Manager of Merchandise
James Baillie joined Briscoe Group in 2000 and was appointed to the role of General Manager of Merchandise at the start of 2024. He brings over 30 years of retail industry experience drawn from roles in both retail operations and buying.
James began his career with Woolworths NZ Ltd participating in their intensive management training program. He went on to hold various roles in retail operations, buying, and category management with major New Zealand retailers including Foodstuffs and more recently, Briscoe Group.
Over the course of his accomplished career, James has developed extensive expertise across merchandise planning, supplier relationship management, marketing, pricing strategies, and driving business growth. He has a proven track record of building high-performance teams and delivering strong commercial results.
As General Manager of Merchandise, James oversees the strategic development and performance of the company's [product categories/department]. He is responsible for developing merchandise plans, managing suppliers, optimizing product assortment, and driving sales and profitability.
James is a motivated leader with a passion for brands and understanding the customer and consumer. He brings strong relationship building skills and international retail acumen to the company.
Outside of work, James is an active sports enthusiast, loves boating & fishing. He holds several coaching qualifications and has competed as a player & coach at both provincial and national levels in Surf Lifesaving, Rugby League, and Touch Rugby.
Aston Moss
Chief People Officer
Aston began his career in retail with Woolworths (NZ) Limited and has worked for a number of retail and non-retail organizations in both the public and private sectors. He completed Bachelor of Arts and Master of Philosophy (Honours) degrees at Auckland University, complemented by 16 years with the major food retailing group Woolworths (NZ). While with Woolworths, Aston worked across a range of different functions including retail operations, buying, and human resources, concurrently completing a Diploma in Business & Administration through Massey University.
Since that time Aston has added to his portfolio of skills and experience working for organizations including SkyCity, Woolworths Limited (Australia), Progressive Enterprises, Manukau Institute of Technology, NZ Post, and Fonterra in a variety of operational and human resources roles. He has governance experience gained through associations with the Retail Industry Training Organization, Waitakere Adult Literacy Incorporated and Auckland Justices of the Peace Association. He completed a Certificate in Company Direction from the NZ Institute of Directors in 2009, was certified as a PRINCE2 Practitioner in 2013 and recently completed a Master of Legal Studies at the University of Auckland. As part of his community involvement Aston serves as a Justice of the Peace.
Aston joined us as General Manager Human Resources in 2015 becoming Chief People Officer in 2022. Within his portfolio of people related activities, Aston also leads our work in the areas of Health & Safety, Employee Communications and Privacy.
Nick Turner
General Manager Retail Operations & Property
Nick has extensive experience with Briscoe Group gained in a variety of roles in retail management, planning and management of large-scale projects including new stores, refurbishments, and the development of our new Support Offices. His involvement in such a diverse range of activities has demonstrated his expertise in management of costs and ensuring solid returns on the funds we invest in our stores.
Nick was pivotal in the development and establishment of a suite of tools focused on productivity and labour management. This critical area of our business has played a significant role in assisting our retail management team to accurately forecast and allocate labour across and within the store network, enabling resources to match demand and ensuring key stakeholders are apprised of plans and results, while improving customer service.
Nick led our Non-Trade Services team when it was established in 2013 through to early 2019 at which time he was appointed General Manager Retail Operations & Property. Nick now leads the largest team in the business reflecting his significant experience and demonstrated capabilities to lead individuals and teams while managing significant commercial responsibilities and obligations. As a strong advocate for our customers and our team throughout our retail network, Nick continues to champion good practices and considered innovation.
Isabel Campbell
General Manager - Customer
Isabel has spent the last 15 years working in digital transformation roles across London, Australia and NZ. She began her career in digital advertising in Auckland before moving to London to work in one of the first large scale digital agencies, working on high profile brands to transform their traditional retail experiences into digital best in class. In London she spent two years specialising in eCommerce – how to scale and transform traditional retail businesses, before moving to Melbourne where she spent two years working with the The Good Guys business on all things eCommerce.
Isabel has since spent the last 8 years in the NZ retail eCommerce space – working on some of the largest brands. She led the Noel Leeming and Torpedo eCommerce business at the Warehouse Group before moving to Bendon Group working an a collection of their NZ and international pure play eCommerce sites. Isabel is passionate about connecting the online and instore experiences, driving significant online growth within the channels, and focusing on the best possible customer experience in the online space.
Darren Porteous
General Manager Supply Chain
Darren brings a wealth of experience to his role as General Manager Supply Chain for Briscoe Group. Having completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree at the University of Auckland, Darren joined Air Express International. Through a series of acquisitions and mergers over time, Air Express and its successor companies joined globally renowned international logistics firm DHL. Over more than two decades, Darren gained unparalleled and invaluable experience in import and export logistics, air and ocean freight, customs brokerage, warehousing, and domestic transportation.
Leadership roles across the length of the supply chain in a number of well-known brands, including Fonterra, Panalpina and Bearing360, have provided Darren with in-depth knowledge and understanding of enterprise level Freight and Warehouse Management Systems, along with significant experience and expertise in the intricacies of developing and operating large scale warehouse facilities.
Darren’s career has resulted in well-honed skills developing and delivering business strategy, leading complex operations, and driving continuous business improvement. Alongside this, he brings substantial experience leading significant system implementations and change programmes. Darren's strong commercial acumen and relationship building skills have delivered excellence in client satisfaction, valuable long-term supplier and customer relationships and outstanding financial performance.
Other Team Members
Across the Group, we employ between 2,200 and 2,500 team members depending upon the time of year.
Around 1,300 members of our team spend most of their time in our Briscoes Homewares stores and 800 team members work primarily in Rebel Sport. Numbers of team members by location vary according to the size of the business in each location. Our Distribution Centre in Wiri, South Auckland has approximately 35 team members.
Providing support to the retail network and DC are the balance of our team with contributions across a wide range of functions including merchandise management, marketing, finance, administration, information technology, loss prevention and human resources.
