Board Director · Strategic Adviser
Non-Executive Director
Advisory Board Member
Transformation & Operations Leader
Making big change possible, from the boardroom decision to the factory floor.
20+ years leading transformation across manufacturing, supply chain, retail and operations in Australia and the United States.
01 Profile
Tara Moses is a non-executive director and strategic adviser with more than 20 years leading transformation across manufacturing, supply chain, retail and operations in Australia and the United States. She helps boards and leadership teams see whether a strategy can actually be delivered: where capacity, supply chain and people will hold, where they will break, and how to know early.
An Industrial Engineer by training, Tara thinks in macro systems while seeing the details that matter to the broader picture. Her career runs from the factory floor to the C-suite. As Chief Operating Officer of R.M.Williams she tripled manufacturing capacity while preserving the craft that defines the brand. At Red Wing Shoe Co. she guided more than 700 people through an unprecedented run of crises. She also co-developed Australia’s National Manufacturing Strategy with the Australian Fashion Council.
She is at her best where organisations must modernise, scale and build resilience without losing the culture, quality or purpose that underpin performance. Through Clearground Advisory, she works with CEOs, founders and leadership teams on transformation, manufacturing strategy, supply chain resilience, technology and organisational growth.
“I believe in the power of craft, whether that’s a handmade boot or a well-run team.”Tara Moses
02 The Board Proposition
Tara knows what happens between the boardroom decision and what actually lands on the factory floor, across the supply chain, through the workforce and ultimately with the customer. She is the one in the room asking thoughtful, often challenging, questions to ensure diligence, and she can translate strategy into operational execution.
Tests whether a strategy can be delivered, identifies where capacity, systems and people will strain, and strengthens resilience, performance and risk controls.
Growth that doesn’t break the business. Contributed to national manufacturing strategy and built operating capability to support international expansion.
Has led large, diverse and unionised workforces through complex transformation, workforce change and sustained periods of operational disruption.
Enterprise-scale automation and robotics, operating-model redesign and systems transformation, including ERP, PLM, forecasting and advanced analytics.
Integrates sustainability into operational strategy and connects an organisation’s direction to where its whole sector is heading.
Deep expertise across vertically integrated manufacturing, sourcing, quality, product development and end-to-end value-stream optimisation.
Guiding Values
03 Board & Advisory Portfolio
04 Selected Impact
At R.M.Williams, in under three years, through automation, robotics and process transformation, enabling global growth while preserving artisanal quality.
Co-developed the National Manufacturing Strategy with the Australian Fashion Council: a united ten-year plan to grow a sector that had been in decline for three decades.
Led 700+ manufacturing employees at Red Wing Shoe Co. through COVID-19, a major cyber incident, labour constraints, union negotiations and material shortages, while maintaining customer supply.
Launched a new offsite production facility in under 90 days to break the network’s binding constraint. It remains an enduring regional capability.
Implemented Infor M3 ERP, Centric PLM and Bamboo Rose forecasting, and built Quality, Sourcing and Concept-to-Consumer functions from the ground up.
Established Capella University’s first internal Lean function, certified 100+ practitioners, and delivered a 25%+ productivity gain through leather-cutting automation at Red Wing.
05 Industry Voice
Tara is an active voice on the future of Australian fashion and textile manufacturing, sovereign capability and what boards need to understand about operational transformation. Her work on the National Manufacturing Strategy has helped restore confidence that manufacturing in the sector has a future.
Co-developed with the Australian Fashion Council.
Target Corporation.
06 Areas of Expertise
Tara’s experience is most relevant to organisations that make, move or sell physical products, from manufacturing, retail and consumer brands to supply chain, logistics and education, particularly those in a phase of transformation, growth or scale.
07 Career
Clearground Advisory · Adelaide
Strategic advisory, transformation workshops and operations leadership mentorship for executive teams.
R.M.Williams · Adelaide
Led enterprise-wide transformation and manufacturing scale-up across 600+ employees in manufacturing, supply chain, IT and retail operations.
Red Wing Shoe Co. · Minnesota, USA
Directed four sites, including the company’s tannery, and 700+ employees producing around one million pairs annually.
Capella University · Minneapolis, USA
Founded the university’s first internal Lean function, partnering with the C-suite of a publicly listed company through merger integration.
LeanCor Supply Chain Group · USA
Advised executive teams on transformation and M&A integration, including scaling Lean Six Sigma across 2,000+ employees.
Target Corporation · Pella Corporation · Lennox International
Built the foundations in industrial engineering, planning and continuous improvement across retail and manufacturing.
08 Contact
Tara welcomes conversations with Chairs, boards, investors and leadership teams about non-executive director and advisory board opportunities.