Eighteen years ago I walked into the small Monsoon store we had in Monsoon Oxford and asked if they had any temporary sales assistant jobs, which they did. From here I progressed up to store manager in one of our flagship stores in London. I then decided that I would like to experience working in a different field, working in HR, where I became retail recruitment manager for the UK. From here I became area manager for UK until I joined the international department 6 years ago.
My role can be hugely challenging, but it’s amazing to see the business develop. I helped out with new store openings in Canada, and took an incredible helicopter journey from Victoria to Vancouver. The travel isn’t always that glamorous though – there is also the odd 3am wait at Oslo airport!
Monsoon Accessorize’s culture is really friendly and people oriented. The company has always given me the opportunity to expand my experience, but I have had to work hard to get where I am today. I’m living proof of the career growth that is possible here.
My typical day: I’ll arrive at work around 8 to review the previous day’s international daily sales. In the morning I’ll hold conference calls with various franchise partners and country managers do discuss their sales performance, stock levels and new sites. I’ll grab some lunch at 12 – this is usually on the run!
In the afternoon I’ll normally meet with various functions within the business including merchandising and finance. The job role is so varied that it could be with anyone! I’ll also prepare for a trip to one of the countries I’m responsible for. When I’m abroad in one of the markets I look after, I will visit a number of their stores discussing opportunities and issues that they may have.