elite insights

How did I get to where I am now? I think the past 2 years for everyone was a chance to reflect and people had the opportunity to step up or make a change. For me, I stepped up. I took on more accountability across the business, supported teams I had previously not managed, gained more knowledge in areas of the business I had not worked in and supported Grant with operational and people decisions as we navigated Covid. There’s that saying about making the most of a bad situation… I never thought we’d ever be in a position where the entire fashion and luxury retail market was closed, but the decisions we made, the infrastructure we built and the people we have on our team have allowed us to come back from Covid better and stronger than ever!

What made me successful in my earlier years of my career? Hard graft! I was always first in the office and last to leave… I spoke to and met as many people as I could to grow my network. I listened to those around me, my peers, managers and Directors constantly picking up new ways of working. I progressed to managing teams across Buying and Merchandising, Design Tech and Production over my 5 year journey there, and quickly realised that I loved the people and operational side to managing teams. The grounding I received at Page was incredible as the starting block for my career, but as quite often happens with large organisations I felt I needed a more dynamic environment to be given the further room to challenge myself and grow. My move to Elite gave me exactly that. At Elite I have been called an ‘incubator’. I have set up, and developed several divisions and had the opportunity to recruit into many different skill sets, levels and geographical sectors all the way to Executive Search.