Colin Christie is the founder of Christies Direct, which he built from a start-up in 1992 into Europe’s largest supplier of professional pet grooming products, culminating in a successful private equity exit in 2020. He is the creator of the Groom Professional grooming product brand, now the leading professional pet grooming brand in Europe and distributed in more than 40 countries worldwide.
A pioneer in digital commerce, Colin launched one of the first transactional websites in the sector in 1999, which has since become the most visited pet grooming platform in Europe and one of the top three globally. Now operating at group and strategic level, and as founder of OptiGrowr consultancy, he works with leadership teams and CEOs to optimise structure, scale performance, prepare for investment or exit, and build high-margin, people-focused organisations.
He has invested in DFIBeds.com, a leading online retailer and manufacturer of beds based in Dungannon and is now the Brand and Strategy Director to maximise opportunities for this exciting business. Colin is a passionate speaker on leadership, business improvement, e-commerce growth, and building high-performing teams, combining real-world entrepreneurial experience with practical, results-driven insight.
