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Maria Dissing Christensen

Specialist in premium and luxury brands on the Scandinavian market
About

Highly organized professional with strong commercial awareness, build through 15 years of experience in luxury lifestyle segment. Significant experience in retail, wholesale, franchise, and department stores management, with proven track record of accelerating revenue and increasing profitability. KEY SKILLS AND CAPABILITIES ✓ Nordic Market & Trends ✓ B2C, B2B & e-comm ✓ Brand Building ✓ Budget forecasting ✓ Buying and profitability ✓ Commercial awareness ✓ Customer & Business Excellence ROI analyse ✓ Go-to Market Strategy ✓ KPI impact & optimize ✓ Performance management ✓ Project Management ✓ Sales, distribution & growth ✓ Stakeholder relationship management ✓ Talent acquisition and development

Previous Brands
Jimmy Choo
Magasin du Nord
Marc Jacobs
Simone Pérèle AUS
Wunderwear
Work Experience
Business Consultant
Jun ‘19 - Now
Self employed

As a freelance consultant, I support and empower independent business owners with overcoming specific projects specifically related to growth, brand building, events and facilitate a 360O view of the overall business model, product portfolio and provide insights and direction to secure tangible objectives, focus, revenue, and profitability. Significantly specialized within the complexity of the Scandinavian premium and luxury lifestyle market. Relevant projects; ISO.POETISM BY TOBIAS BIRK NIELSEN Creative Director: Tobias Birk Nielsen Copenhagen based Danish luxury men and unisex streetwear fashion www.tobiasbirknielsen.store • Project management of winning Zalando® Sustainability Award AW22 and Wessel & Vett® Fashion Prize 2022, KAPPA® collab collection, 2 Copenhagen Fashion Week runway shows, Global sales campaigns and complex KAC onboarding processes • Professionalized the organization by developing company playbooks on HR, Sales and Marketing • Added 34 new doors including Coevo (SK), Harvey Nichols (KU), Rubaiyat (UAE), Zalando and Magasin (DK). • Grew avg. wholesale order value by 98% by eliminating small non-profitable accounts by targeting KAC with better potential and stability. • Secured business model profitability and grew gross margin +25%. • Grew Nordic market with webshop traffic +600% and +195% on orders comparing L4L to LY, emphasizing the success of the strategical focus of increasing brand awareness and distribution on the local market. FEKIH Creative Director: Maria Fékih Copenhagen based, Danish women’s tailored luxury bridal and RTW designer www.fekih.com • Conducted extensive optimization of structures, including sales process- and time management, selling ceremony, daily- monthly and yearly cycle planning and secured +30% gross profit • Managed a fiscal year result of +17%, turning a negative end result from LY of -13% to LY-1’s result of +3%. • Anticipated strategical expansion plan of the product portfolio, adding RTW, occasional wear and a men’s bridal dress capsule to capitalize on new markets and secure cash flow throughout the year. • Project management of 2 trunk shows, e-commerce platform relaunch, new collection sale campaign, 2 photoshoots, talent acquisition, selling ceremony playbook development and event project coordination and marketing.

COUNTRY MANAGER SCANDINAVIA
May ‘18 - May ‘19
Jimmy Choo

• Opened 3 new Flagship Stores within 4 months and recruited, onboarded and managed sales force of 25 people across the region and achieved ambitious turnover targets. • Project managed and facilitated opening events for all 3 stores, including VIC hosting program, influencer seeding program and exclusive influencer dinner in CPH. • Raised sell-thru with +12% within 4 months by persuading severe changes to pre-buyings to better align Scandinavian culture and psychographics. • Controlled ambitious EOY 2018 target by reaching index 106, through clear KPI objectives, CRM, internal procedures, staff training, product assortment and intelligent selling techniques. • Established strategical alliances within my network of exclusive hotels, personal shoppers, tax free shopping, lifestyle suppliers and more. • Secured all three stores were raking within top 10 stores (EMEA) on store operations, also providing the first stock take result in the Jimmy Choo company history with a 0-diff. outcome. • Hosted a 1:1 3 days trip through Scandinavia with company CEO to introduce Scandinavian cultures and best practice performance, based on the successful openings.

AREA RETAIL MANAGER / Denmark and Sweden
Feb ‘13 - Apr ‘18
Marc Jacobs

MNRetail ApS - Franchise Partner Christian Louboutin, Marc Jacobs, Stella McCartney and Isabel Marant Market: Denmark and Sweden Reporting to: CEO and COO • CPH Airport store opening, secured index 122 on Y1 budget and index 105 Y2 • Accelerated stock rotations 100% (!) and 50%+ across brands in the MNRetail brand portfolio (Stella McCartney, Isabel Marent, Christian Louboutin). • Controlled turnover results of index 98 to LY, compared to a major overall MJ global turnover step • Facilitated +24%, +27% and +28% increases on ATVs 2LY against 2016, already having a +2%, +5% and +13% against 2015 results. • Controlled stock clearance project (negotiated 35% stock return with suppliers, facilitated and controlled stock sale with highest turnover in company history of 1,3 mio DKK and 12% margin).

REGIONAL SALES MANAGER / Denmark
Jun ‘10 - Jan ‘13
Simone Pérèle AUS

Simone Pérèle SAS was founding a daughter company in the Nordics, I was recruited trough network, to drive the sales into the new region. Having a strong network within lingerie business, I was able to secure close relationships and quick results on revenue. Further, I was operating 3 SIS’s in Magasin du Nord, with objectives to become market leader in the department of luxury lingerie. Results: Raised stock rotation with KACs with an avg. stock value on index 114 and a sell-thru of index 136, securing better profitability and cash flow for the client. • Secured turnover results of index 125 to budget and 142 to LY in 2011, and a turnover result of index 110 to 2012 budget, with index 123 to LY. • Increased turnover in 2012 by index 120 to LY in Magasin Kgs Nytorv, by executing sales and product training, customer analysis and KPI focus points. • Controlled ATV and raised by index 132 across 3 Magasin shops, by performance management and intelligent selling ceremonies.

DEPARTMENT MANAGER
May ‘09 - May ‘10
Magasin du Nord

Multibrand Premium Department Store Initially recruited to join their internal Talent Management Program and to strengthen their customer expertise especially in the lingerie department. Thus 3 months in, I was offered the role as Department Manager of Lingerie, and facilitated remarkable results within very short time.

Store Manager
May ‘07 - Apr ‘09
Wunderwear

Multibrand Premium and Luxury Lingerie chain, brands such as La Perla, Marie Jo, Prima Donna, Aubade, Cotton Club, Simone Pérèle, Chantelle, Marlies Dekkers, Freya etc. Began as Sales and Store Management Trainee.

Languages
Danish - Native
English - Fluent
Swedish - Work Proficiency
Norwegian - Work Proficiency
Location Preference
To be discussed
Work Pattern
Full-time
Employment Preference
Freelance Assignments
Hourly Consulting
Permanent Positions
Education & Training
Copenhagen Business Academy
‘10 - ‘13
Academy Foundation (AF) Degree in Business
International Trade and Marketing
BEC Business Academy
‘09 - ‘09
HGS
Business Management Modular
Copenhagen Business Academy
‘07 - ‘09
Vocational education
Sales and Store Management
Copenhagen, Danmark