Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

Lilliput Trading Co

An exceptional opportunity to lead an established and ambitious business through its next phase of growth and transformation.

Lilliput Trading Co is a leading artisan food wholesaler with a strong reputation for sourcing and supplying high-quality, authentic products. Built on a passion for exceptional food, strong relationships and outstanding service, the business has established a respected position within the market and is now entering an exciting new chapter.

As Lilliput looks to accelerate its growth and realise its full potential, we are seeking an experienced, commercially driven and highly engaged Chief Executive Officer to lead the business through its next stage of development.

This is an opportunity for an accomplished leader to shape the future of an ambitious organisation—building on its entrepreneurial foundations while introducing the structure, leadership, culture and operational discipline required to scale successfully.

The Opportunity

Reporting to the Board and working closely with the founders and leadership team, the CEO will assume overall responsibility for the strategic, commercial and operational performance of Lilliput.

The successful candidate will develop and execute a clear strategy for sustainable growth while ensuring the organisation has the people, structures, systems and processes required to support its ambitions.

This is not a purely corporate or boardroom-based CEO position.

Lilliput requires a visible, accessible and hands-on leader who is comfortable moving between strategy and execution. The successful candidate will be equally capable of setting the long-term direction of the business, engaging with key customers and partners, supporting and challenging the leadership team, and rolling up their sleeves when required to solve problems and drive progress.

The CEO will bring clarity, accountability and structure while protecting the entrepreneurial spirit, authenticity and values that have been central to Lilliput’s success.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and execute a clear strategic growth plan for the next phase of Lilliput’s development.
• Lead the scaling and professionalisation of the business, ensuring organisational structures evolve in line with growth.
• Establish clear roles, responsibilities, reporting lines and accountability across the organisation.
• Introduce and embed appropriate systems, processes, SOPs and performance measures to improve operational effectiveness.
• Build a strong, positive and high-performance culture where employees understand the vision of the business and their role in delivering it.
• Lead, develop and empower the management team, creating greater ownership and accountability throughout the organisation.
• Drive sustainable revenue and profitability growth while maintaining strong commercial and financial discipline.
• Identify new commercial opportunities, markets, customers, partnerships and routes to growth.
• Strengthen key B2B customer and supplier relationships while protecting and enhancing Lilliput’s premium market positioning.
• Ensure the business has the operational capacity, infrastructure and capability required to scale effectively.
• Work closely with the founders and Board to translate the long-term vision for Lilliput into a clear and executable business strategy.
• Maintain a strong connection with day-to-day operations and remain willing to become directly involved where leadership, decision-making or problem-solving is required.
• Champion Lilliput’s values, reputation and passion for high-quality artisan food throughout every stage of its growth.

The Ideal Candidate

We are seeking an experienced and commercially astute senior leader with substantial industry experience, ideally gained within the food, FMCG, wholesale, distribution or a closely related sector.

Candidates should have operated at CEO, Managing Director, General Manager or equivalent senior leadership level and have a demonstrable track record of leading businesses through meaningful periods of growth, change or transformation.

Of particular importance will be proven experience in scaling an organisation—taking a successful entrepreneurial or founder-led business and introducing the structures, processes, leadership capability and commercial discipline required to support its next stage of growth.

The ideal candidate will demonstrate:

• Significant senior leadership experience within food, FMCG, wholesale, distribution or a relevant related industry.
• A strong track record of successfully scaling and developing a growing business.
• Experience implementing organisational structures, processes, SOPs and clear accountability frameworks.
• Strong commercial acumen with the ability to identify and deliver sustainable growth opportunities.
• Experience building, leading and developing high-performing management teams.
• A proven ability to create and embed a positive, accountable and performance-driven organisational culture.
• Strong financial and operational understanding with the ability to translate strategy into measurable results.
• Experience navigating the transition from an entrepreneurial or founder-led environment towards a more structured and scalable organisation.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills, with the credibility to work effectively with founders, Boards, employees, customers, suppliers and commercial partners.
• The ability to balance strategic thinking with practical execution.

Leadership Style

The right leadership style will be critical to success.

We are looking for someone who combines strategic capability with genuine operational engagement.

The successful candidate will not lead from a distance. They will be visible across the organisation, curious about how the business operates, willing to challenge constructively and prepared to get directly involved when required.

They will know when to lead from the front, when to empower others and when to roll up their sleeves to help the team deliver.

This individual will bring structure without unnecessary bureaucracy, accountability without losing agility, and ambition while respecting the entrepreneurial culture and heritage that have made Lilliput successful.

They will be an authentic and engaging leader who can bring people with them through change—creating clarity around where the business is going, what success looks like and how every member of the team contributes to achieving it.

Why Join Lilliput?

This is a rare opportunity to take the leadership of an established and respected business at a pivotal point in its journey.

The incoming CEO will have the opportunity to make a significant and lasting impact—shaping strategy, strengthening the organisation, developing its people and building the platform required for Lilliput to achieve its full growth potential.

For an experienced leader who enjoys combining strategy, commercial growth, people leadership and hands-on execution, this represents an exciting opportunity to lead a distinctive business into its next chapter.

How to Apply

To apply for this exciting leadership opportunity, applicants are invited to submit an up-to-date CV together with a cover letter outlining their relevant experience, key achievements and suitability for the position of Chief Executive Officer.

Your cover letter should specifically highlight your experience in senior leadership, scaling and growing businesses, implementing effective organisational structures and processes, developing high-performing teams and culture, and leading within a hands-on, commercially focused environment.

All applications will be treated in the strictest confidence.

For more information, please apply through the link provided for the attention of Stephen Merrigan or call Osborne Recruitment on 041 986 5058.
If you are interested in finding out more about the above role and would like to be considered for this or other suitable roles that we may have available for your skill set – please attach your CV via the link provided. Please submit your updated CV in Word Format.
If you are living in Ireland and hold a VALID WORK PERMIT, we would love to hear from you, if however, you do not hold a valid work permit unfortunately we will not be in a position to assist you with your job search. Osborne are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer.

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