Oversight

What I do in a supervisory body

I assess the digital side of the business on behalf of the owner: whether the board's plan is feasible, whether the numbers it rests on are true, and whether the organisation has what it takes to deliver it. I do not manage and I do not give orders to the board — I supervise, ask questions and document the position.

What I require for oversight to be real: direct access to source data, an agreed reporting cadence, and a set of indicators agreed with the board rather than presented selectively by management.

The ten questions I ask management about the digital business

1. What is the result of the online channel at the contribution-margin level, after the full cost of order fulfilment — not GMV and not revenue?
2. How much of the online growth is new customers and how much is sales shifted from the stores? How do you measure it, and who verified the method?
3. What is the customer acquisition cost, and after how many orders does it pay back?
4. What share of online revenue rests on paid traffic — and what happens to the result if we cut the media budget in half?
5. How many customers come back within twelve months, and how has that cohort changed year on year?
6. What percentage of the assortment available offline is actually purchasable online, and who is personally responsible for listing and delisting?
7. What assumptions does this programme's business case rest on, and which of them have already been called into question by the data?
8. What stops working if a key technology provider terminates the contract — and how long does an exit take?
9. What personal data and consents sit behind personalisation and the loyalty programme, and who confirmed the legal basis?
10. Which three numbers does the board report to the council — and does it look at those same numbers internally on Monday morning?

Experience in executive bodies and boards

• Advisory Board — Zago Capital
• Chamber Council — Polish Chamber of Electronic Economy (2020–2022)

When it pays to have me at the table

In a transaction and digital due diligence. In the first year after an acquisition. When the board cannot verify the digital programme on its own. When entering the DACH market.

Contact: wojciech.milewski@digitalforce4retail.com