UK retailer Sofa Club brings in Kate Preusse for newly created Group Operations Director role
Sofa Club has announced the appointment of Kate Preusse as Group Operations Director, a newly created role.
She brings experience across UK retailer brands including Sainsbury’s, Argos, Mothercare and Waterstones. Throughout her career, she has led large scale operational transformation programmes spanning supply chain, fulfilment, freight, inventory, warehousing, final mile delivery, reverse logistics and customer operations.
Preusse has also worked closely with founder led and high growth consumer brands, helping businesses strengthen operational foundations, establish scalable processes and build customer centric operating models.
In her new role at Sofa Club, she will oversee end-to-end operations across origin freight, supply chain, logistics, final mile delivery and reverse flows. She will also lead efforts to further integrate customer experience into the operational agenda, ensuring every stage of the customer journey is aligned with the brand’s commitment to quality and service.
"What drew me to Sofa Club was the ambition of the brand and the opportunity to help shape the operational foundations for its next phase of growth. For me, great operations aren’t just about process and efficiency - they’re about creating clarity for teams, reducing friction for customers, and building a culture where people can do their best work,” she says.
Sofa Club Co-Founder Tom O’Neill comments: "Kate brings an exceptional combination of operational expertise, strategic leadership and customer focus. As we continue to scale the business, her experience across supply chain, logistics and operational transformation will be invaluable in helping us deliver the best possible experience for our customers while building a platform for sustainable long-term growth. We're delighted to welcome her to the team."
2026 RTIH Innovation Awards
Supply chain technology will be a key focus area at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards.
The awards are now open for entries and celebrate global retail technology innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.
Our winners will be revealed at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony, taking place at The HAC in Central London on Wednesday, 4th November.
Check out our 2025 winners here.
Our 2025 hall of fame entrants were revealed during a sold out event which took place at The HAC on 16th October and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by award winning comedian, actress and writer Tiff Stevenson.
In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “This is the awards’ fifth year as a physical event. We started off with just 30 people at the South Place Hotel not far from here, then moved to London Bridge Hotel, then The Barbican, and last year RIBA’s HQ in the West End.”
“But I’m conscious of the fact that, to quote the legend that is Taylor Swift, You’re only as hot as your last hit, baby. So, this year we’ve moved to our biggest venue yet, and also pulled in our largest number of entries to date and broken attendance records.”
He added: “This year’s submissions have without doubt been our best yet. To quote one of the judges: The examples of innovative developments across both traditional and digital retail spaces were truly remarkable.”
Congratulations to our winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Tiff Stevenson, and all those who attended our 2025 gathering.
