One of the most well-received sessions at RSSC 2026, Sophie Rycroft from Debenhams Group strengthened her messages about doing the right thing, getting ahead before the legislative pressure arrives, and the positive impact a central mindset has on implementing data strategies and software.
(Hosted by Ed Austin, Director, Segura)
In this article, we uncover the supply chain transparency journey with Debenhams Group:
Sophie stepped in to her role at Debenhams Group as Global ESG, Sourcing and Quality Director nearly two years ago. Her first six months were spent building out the team internationally and in the UK, mapping what needed to be done across the key ESG pillars, and developing a strategy to present to a new CEO. The strategy - built around three pillars covering environment, social and governance - gave the ESG team both a direction and a mandate. The governance pillar, where upstream supply chain transparency and traceability sit, was identified as the area requiring the most focused, detailed work, which led the team to Segura following a six-month evaluation of different vendors and platforms.
When asked whether legislation or strategic direction was the primary driver, Sophie was direct. Both matter.
“We know legislation is here and more is coming. If you do not have visibility of your supply chain. If your data is not organised, in one place and accessible, it makes legislative compliance impossible. Data is the number one thing to get right, so Segura was a no-brainer for us in terms of what you do.”
She acknowledged the scale of the regulatory landscape ("me and my team call it the alphabet soup because you just get lost in it") but said waiting for legislation to force the issue was never the plan. It was important for them not to wait, but to start mapping their tiers and getting their data in a row, so that when legislation comes at them, they could just jump on it with confidence.
''But the team’s motivation went beyond legislation. For Debenhams, sustainability and ESG weren’t a tick box, but the future. It was about delivering ethical, sustainable products to consumers at affordable prices by pushing volumes of responsible materials through ethical suppliers to manufacture in a way that had the lowest impact on the environment.'' - Sophie Rycroft, Debenhams Group
Debenhams Group structured their implementation in two phases. Phase one — now fully embedded — focused on overhauling audit management and corrective action plan (CAP) tracking. Auditors now being able to type findings directly into the platform while still on the factory floor in India or Turkey - instantly uploaded, instantly graded, with no write-up delay on return. It means that, not only are they making buying decision based on real-time data, but with the system making the process less manual it freed up more time for her team. Now her team can visit twice as many factories in the same time.
Beyond audits, the Segura platform will house all test reports, sustainability reports, certifications and supplier documentation in one place, enabling what Sophie describes as a full "supplier 360’’ view of performance across ethical compliance, product compliance, environmental performance, and sustainability progress, all in a single system.
“By giving suppliers a grading, we can identify areas where we can help suppliers improve their ethical and environmental performance, make better buying decisions aligned to our ESG strategies, and reward great behaviours.” - Sophie Rycroft, Debenhams Group
Phase two - supply chain mapping beyond Tier 1 - is currently underway, and Sophie was candid about both the progress and the challenges. The team is almost halfway through their supply chain mapping journey, and the experience has taught them two things.
First, many suppliers are already on this journey with other retailers, which makes engagement easier than expected. Second, for those who are not, the educational burden of explaining what tier mapping means, what needs to be uploaded, and who is responsible at each tier has taken longer than we would have liked - not because of the platform, but because of the supply base itself. However, once this was done, the onboarding was seamless:
“I thought many of our suppliers would struggle to onboard onto the platform, but actually the system has been seamless and the support and guidance from Segura, regardless of global time-zones, has been really useful.” - Sophie Rycroft, Debenhams Group
The decision to start with the top 20 suppliers and then expand to the top 50 was deliberate and, in retrospect, the right call. It allowed the team to concentrate effort, build supplier capability gradually, and avoid overwhelming the supply base all at once. This led to a moment when suppliers started saying things were easier and more responsive with the platform.
First, she ran a focus group with colleagues across the business before presenting to the board. The insight from that group - that employees at every level were actively asking what the company's ESG strategy was, and choosing employers partly on that basis — carried significant weight in the boardroom. It meant she was presenting the business's voice.
Second, she brought a clear list of business outcomes rather than ESG abstractions. The case she made to the board was built around: centralised compliance data, improved supplier performance visibility, greater supply chain transparency, streamlined audit and CAP management, enhanced reporting and data accuracy, reduced admin workload, improved supplier accountability, stronger risk management and governance, and scalable supply chain governance.
Third, she was explicit about the framing: this is not additional spending, it is front-ending costs that would otherwise arrive later as fines and remediations further down the line.
The biggest piece of advice was not to overwhelm key stakeholders with data, but rather focus on the implications of not addressing supply chain transparency and traceability – the impact on your business, its operations and its reputation. Supporting your arguments with case studies and legal requirements.
When Debenhams Group launched its new ESG strategy in March 2025, Sophie presented it to suppliers at the same time as internal teams - before any asks were made of them. The suppliers were brought onto the journey early, told why the strategy mattered, and shown what it would mean for their own business: better grading, more attractive positioning to other retailers, and the opportunity to become what Sophie called a "gold standard supplier."
Crucially, she also made the case to her buying and merchandising teams. If buyers are in factories and treating ESG requirements as optional, the whole strategy falls apart. At Debenhams Group, buyers now open supplier meetings by asking where they are on their Segura journey and what certifications are in place - before the commercial conversation begins.
"Our suppliers are our partners, so it is super important they benefit from the platform as well - having everything in one place, a tool that enables them to be more responsive and see their own ESG performance. They want to do a great job and work with us, so it is absolutely important to bring them on board.” Sophie Rycroft, Debenhams Group
The Debenhams Group story reflects exactly what Segura is built to deliver. From audit and CAP management to multi-tier supply chain mapping, certification tracking, and supplier 360 views, Segura brings every element of supply chain governance into a single platform, replacing disconnected spreadsheets and email chains with real-time, validated data.
If you would like to explore supply chain transparency, get in touch with us today at info@segura.co.uk.