This piece first appeared in the September edition of BikeBiz magazine – not subscribed? Get a free subscription.
From her early career in pet food to helping steer one of the industry’s largest distributors, ZyroFisher’s CCO, Nadine Thompson, discusses her career journey, her role, and her thoughts on the future.
In the industry, there are likely few who can claim a background as unique as Nadine Thompson’s. Now Chief Commercial Officer of ZyroFisher, her early career involved working as a sales representative for pet food, a seemingly distant field that she says shares surprising parallels with the bike industry.
“The synergies between [pet food] and the bike industry are actually quite similar,” she says, reflecting on her time selling to independent pet shops. “A lot of both businesses tend to involve a lot of people who are very passionate about the subject and passionate about this topic.”
Drawing on over two decades of experience in global corporate leadership at companies like Procter & Gamble and Pentland Brands, Nadine has been involved in many significant projects throughout her career. Contributing to the launch of new products and brands, including high-profile names like Gillette Fusion, Oral-B toothpaste, and Berghaus Hydrodown.
Her time at Endura during the pandemic proved to be a particular highlight. “I had the privilege of working with Jim and Pam, the original founders of Endura, and was able to bring together the best of what Endura was already doing with some of the expertise from Pentland, such as working with large National accounts,” she recalls. “We were able to almost double the Endura business, although my proudest achievement was taking the top spot away from Castelli on the Bicycle Association data in the UK.”
This experience, along with her other roles, prepared her for the challenges at ZyroFisher. Joining the company in early 2024, when the industry was still grappling with the post-pandemic slump, her initial priority was straightforward: get the business back to profitability.
“The business was not profitable by quite a long way,” she admits. Whilst the groundwork had been put in place, her first priority when starting as CCO was to drive the top line. “My job was then about, ‘right, your job now is…we need to start selling stuff.’”
Fast forward to now, and she says that there’s been a significant change. “I am really proud to say that ZyroFisher is now a profitable business, a huge turnaround in 12 months.”
This achievement was also intertwined with a second major priority: filling a significant gap in the company’s portfolio after Bell and Camelback went direct. The team worked to secure new distribution deals with brands like Continental, Leatt, Gaerne, Sigg, Bivo, and Sweet Protection.
Championing Inclusivity
Beyond the commercial strategy, Nadine has a personal passion for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), a commitment solidified during her term on the UK Bicycle Association Diversity Advisory Board.
“I think that diversity in the cycling industry is improving,” she notes, highlighting initiatives like the Uplift mentoring programme, which matches experienced female leaders with other women. In 2023, data from the Bicycle Association reported that women make up only 8% of workshop-based roles, 19% of customer-facing roles, and 40% of administrative positions. Her time on the board highlighted the importance of practical steps, such as those implemented by Islabikes, which successfully increased its number of female mechanics by using more gender-neutral and female-friendly language in job adverts, a strategy she has since adopted at ZyroFisher.
“The key thing is ensuring that women see that it is possible to develop a career in cycling and be successful to the highest level,” she explained. She advocates for inclusive recruitment processes, gender-neutral job descriptions, and accommodating policies for neuro-diversity, as well as hybrid and flexible work patterns to support those with caring responsibilities—a demographic that statistically includes a higher proportion of women.
Strengthening Partnerships
Talking about partnerships, Nadine said she believes that the ideal relationship between a brand, a distributor, and a retailer “relies on everyone doing their part, as we are so interconnected. The key component to this is open and honest communication.”
To foster this, she advised that people make use of and utilise all available feedback channels. At ZyroFisher, they actively seek regular feedback from IBDs, which is reviewed monthly by the senior leadership team. Usually, with a cup of tea, Nadine says she reads this feedback every morning to ensure that any action needed is sorted promptly. She also highlights the value of face-to-face opportunities like industry trade shows, urging retailers to make the most of these events to share what’s working and what isn’t.
“My advice would be to make the most of all these opportunities; if you really value something, then shout about it so we can do more, if it doesn’t work, tell us then us so that we can fix it.”
Maintaining Balance
In a demanding role, maintaining a healthy work-life balance can be difficult, especially when personal and professional interests collide. Travelling, replying to emails, and attending meetings all add up. But Nadine admits she is lucky that her personal interests align with her role, “Being involved in cycling and the outdoors in my personal life gives me the opportunity to experience the products first-hand. I also see and meet people using our brands and our competitors all the time, and when they know what you do for a living, they often want to share their experiences (good and bad),” she adds.
In an attempt to maintain a healthy work-life balance, she reflects that blocking time out on a Friday to plan the week ahead means being able to go into the weekend with a clear mind, taking time to enjoy a ride without worrying about what she might have forgotten.
Looking to the Future
Whilst it’s utilised in many respects, ZyroFisher have been using AI for data analysis to focus on inventory optimisation to maximise sales and manage cash flow. In regard to shifts in the distribution model, Nadine shares insights gained during the pandemic.
“Covid also demonstrated that people still want to use their local shops and support their local IBD,” she says. “ZyroFisher is continuing to support IBDs and finding ways of providing a more efficient service. We have a programme of continual improvement on our B2B portal with the aim of making it easier and offering more self-serve options.” They have also introduced a Retail Marketing Manager to help support retailers with POS in-store, including custom solutions if required.
Looking to the future, Nadine is excited about the industry’s recent growth after a prolonged decline. “The cycling industry has been in growth for three months after a long period of decline; this is what we have been wanting for the past four years,” she says.
“We are keen to ensure that everyone feels welcome in cycling, whatever their age, gender, ethnicity, background or fitness level,” she says. “Cycling and the industry can sometimes be intimidating to people… With [our brand] Altura, we are able to find a balance, explaining the technical aspects of clothing but without being patronising.”
“This is an exciting time for us and the industry as we can focus on the future, growing the industry and getting more people into cycling,” she concludes.