Gary Donnelly joined Culina Group in the summer of 2021 as CIO. Gary brought with him an impressive IT pedigree having held both global and national leader positions across a range of business sectors. 

Gary has great expertise to offer to Culina Group having led IT development within major organisations such as Unipart Logistics, Avis International and Gazprom. He has significant experience in building cutting edge big budget IT infrastructure and support systems as well as joining business unit IT systems together cohesively.

Where would you say the Culina Group IT function is now and how you are looking to evolve and develop?

Culina Group has experienced massive growth since 2015. The Group has grown from a turnover of £200 million to over £2.2 billion. There have been several landmark acquisitions of businesses each with significant infrastructures in their own right. 

It is now a case of identifying synergies and stitching it all together whilst, at the same time, building and developing cutting edge support, systems, and infrastructure for the future. We’re also focusing on fostering a culture of innovation to drive our business forward.

Given the recent growth of Culina Group there is a huge amount to do in regards to enhancing and evolving the Group’s IT infrastructure. It’s a really exciting place to be for people looking to build a career in IT and to really boost their own CV credentials.

I am pleased to have the full backing of the Board enabling me to contribute to Culina Group growth through the further establishment of an IT-enabled 3PL.

I am aiming to develop an IT enabled culture that continually optimises the mutual benefits and potential of our partnerships with our client base. Ultimately, I want to cement Culina Group as a Sector Leader in IT.

Why do you feel Culina Group IT is cutting edge?

Culina Group is a huge organisation in which IT is at the heart of the key business processes. 

We are continually identifying and creating new IT concepts and innovations designed to help make a positive difference for both our operations and our clients’ operations.

Currently our nationwide team of around 240 people are building, evolving, and innovating to support the growth across our growing network. 

Culina Group has also experienced both indirect and direct cyber security threats however we’ve successfully negotiated positive outcomes without default damage to the business or to client systems. This is testament to the experience and calibre of our IT team.

Why do you feel that Culina Group IT is a great place for IT professionals to work and grow their own careers?

We are establishing an IT environment and culture that provides the opportunities for the best IT specialists and professionals to flourish, to fully exploit their potential and to make a meaningful contribution to the further growth of our businesses. 

At Culina Group there are massive and exciting opportunities now for ambitious and hungry IT specialists to help take us to the next level, both as employees and as partner companies. 

We are very proud of the culture at Culina Group, and a big part of that is having great colleagues. We recognise that our IT talent wants to be surrounded by other talented individuals and teams. This enables personal growth and development whilst providing an opportunity to learn on a daily basis. 

Culina Group is now the market-leading FMCG logistics provider in the UK. We are an organisation that is on an amazing journey with a spectacular growth trajectory. There are opportunities for IT specialists to both develop and to have a great time working within an extremely fast moving and successful organisation with a great reputation in the industry. 

What types of IT career opportunities are available within Culina Group?

There are opportunities available in all areas of the IT team. We do not have a ‘one size fits all’ approach as we actively review each potential new recruit as an individual. We check for fit, both for us and for them. We then identify how best we can fully utilise and develop their particular skill set. 

Our aim is to be technology leaders in Logistics. The quality of our IT talent will drive that leadership. We are continually looking for the right people across the board to join our ever-growing team. We want to attract the very best talent around and we want to build awareness of our reputation as somewhere great IT talent wants to work and grow.

Indeed, Culina Group is currently establishing an Innovation and Technology Hub at its HQ in Warrington. It is a facility where Colleagues from across Culina Group can conceptualise and trial how logistics IT could look and how partnerships with clients/vendors can be better served and energised. It will become our Centre of Excellence for research and development - A “Google” for logistics IT.

We are also looking to energise the Culina Partner Network by establishing strong links with quality IT business partners and specialist IT start ups. 

www.culinagroup.co.uk