Senior Retail Director with a 22-year track record of high impact operational and strategic improvement in the luxury sector, with deep skills and understanding of client behaviour, including visual merchandising and store management with extensive international exposure. Familiar and fluent at managing stakeholders at all levels, a consummate collaborator trusted to execute transformational change to deliver significant and lasting commercial benefit. Adept at multi-channel global operations via mainline, outlet, airport and concession sites. A persuasive and inspiring leader, culturally sensitive and able to drive top levels of team and individual performance, with a history of developing staff to achieve significant career progression and in-house promotion.
Leading team of 50 IT professionals across store technology, key digital products (DSV, B2B, EDI & Marketplaces) and change programmes. Defining and executing Customer Road Map in line with commercial strategy. Establishing strong business relationships, with focus on retail-based IT solutions through stakeholder engagement.
Volunteer Director and Board Member for Britcross, trading subsidiary of the British Red Cross.
Key Retail Operations leader, defining and executing operations excellence strategy in line with commercial targets. Leading a cross functional team for the retail excellence evolution, focusing on client journey, people development and building a retail community through strong internal communication
Key Retail Excellence leader, defined and executed strategy and roadmap in line with commercial and business targets, identified areas of opportunity and executed changes, provided key communications to leadership and senior stakeholders throughout and coached/developed a team of 5. Developed business opportunity through driving digital sales via an omni channel approach, whilst ensuring store environment supported luxury client experience through defined global architecture standards for all areas of store operations.
Led team of 5 in the planning, development and delivery of a variety of key strategic retail projects ensuring a globally consistent approach. Streamlined project communication to retail partners through championing team as a single point of contact for key stakeholders (retail, product, supply chain, digital, PMO etc) ensuring Single point of liaison for all new innovations and updates to ways of working.
Led a team of 30 operations and training specialists across EMEIA stores to ensure consistent and high -quality training delivery. This included road shows in conference format, a focus on accessories performance accompanied by roll out of a new customer experience strategy.
Managed the implementation of a variety of key initiatives co-ordinating with all functions (architecture, construction, business development, facilities and local retail and merchandising). Oversaw regional operations monitoring and improving performance throughout and collaborating with IT and other support functions to ensure effective and efficient store operation. Supported client events and other marketing activity, providing clear and concise messaging tailored to particular countries (including the use of a new digital learning tool), managing costs and budget throughout. Built team of 10 Operations Field Managers to deliver an extensive programme of store development opening/closing 30 stores.
Led programmes to deliver major change across 104 stores in 16 countries, 34% of annual turnover, alongside oversight of inventory control for all stores. Regular engagement with Directors and stakeholders across the business to identify improvement opportunities and then to lead projects across mainline, outlet, airport and concession channels, ensuring close alignment with luxury brand values.
Regional leadership role driving sales and profits across a 12-store portfolio (33,000 sq. ft, 200+ staff, £73m t/o). Coached and mentored a multi-site retail management team to take ownership of their own store performance, facilitating major improvement, cost saving and refurbishment programmes.
A high-profile change role accountable for transforming the underperforming Regent Street store (67 staff including the global customer service division, t/o £9.7m). Held full P&L and HR responsibility.
Full P&L accountability for travel retail and non-london stores.
All aspects of leading store team to achieve targets with full P&L accountability.