Sue Cooke works has spent over two decades helping organisations spend less on the things they can't avoid buying. Sue's specialism is uniforms, workwear, office suppliers and laundry - all categories that most businesses underestimate until someone looks closely at what they're actually paying, and why.
Sue Cooke works has spent over two decades helping organisations spend less on the things they can't avoid buying. Sue's specialism is uniforms, workwear, office suppliers and laundry - all categories that most businesses underestimate until someone looks closely at what they're actually paying, and why.
Before ERA Group, Sue worked in life sciences, including a product management role at a global biotechnology company. She holds a doctorate, and while molecular virology doesn't come up much in supplier negotiations, the habit of interrogating data rather than accepting it at face value comes up constantly.
Sue's clients span retail, food manufacturing and construction. The savings are real; 51% on laundered workwear for a food manufacturer, 43% on cleaning materials and office supplies for a builders merchant, and 52% saving on stationery, storage and distribution for a retailer. However, the more lasting work is often the process change that follows. One retail client came in wanting better cost control on uniforms. They left with a completely rebuilt approach to how the category works: allowance structures, onboarding processes, and a rethink of their brand specification that started with a simple question about how many logos actually need to be on a garment.
Sue also trains and mentors new ERA consultants, bringing her client experience directly into how the next generation of the network develops.
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