Role: Regional Manager Northern Ireland
Company: George
Track Record: “If you work hard and have a desire to succeed, then nothing is out of your reach” she says.
What does your job entail?
I work as regional George manager for Northern Ireland and as such I am responsible for the diverse and exciting range of tasks which fall under this title. This includes everything from driving sales and visual merchandising to coaching and developing our George colleagues.
The fashion brand George has been growing in popularity here since its entrance to the market in 2005 with the arrival of Asda to Northern Ireland. Offering affordable yet fashion forward clothing for the whole family, customers have been flocking to our stores and George.com – making the George department the busiest in Asda Northern Ireland, with the region selling 40% more than the rest of the regions across the UK.
We have also been busy over the last number of months preparing for and successfully hosting our first-ever standalone fashion show and officially opening West Coast Cooler Belfast FASHIONWEEK (March 21-24) at the Ulster Museum!
Having featured in the show for the past three seasons, the company decided to invest in and fully support FASHIONWEEK, recognising the George’s incredible popularity here and we were delighted to put together a truly spectacular show for our NI fans.
Is it 9-5?
The very nature of the retail sector means that my job is far from 9-5 and on any given day my plans can fluctuate on a minute-by-minute basis. One day I could be out and about meeting with customers and finding out what they want to see in stores, and the next I could be working with our George managers to go through our weekly plans and objectives.
George continues to be the go-to label for the fashion conscious across NI and further afield, and we work hard to make sure that the very latest trends on are the shelves as soon as possible. This means that I spend a great deal of time over in our head office, George House, discussing our customers’ needs and making sure that they always get the top quality design, wide choice and incredible value that has become synonymous with the brand.
How did you get into this line of work? / Outline your career to date
When I was growing up I never imagined that I would end up working in fashion but once I had my first taste of retail I was hooked and now I couldn’t imagine myself doing anything else.
Over the years I have worked in various jobs, from sales assistant positions to store manager roles, across a wide range of retail formats from independent stores to high street chains.
Each post came with its own challenges and opportunities and has provided a unique opportunity to develop a diverse skill set.I am delighted to be working as regional George manager for NI, it has been a fantastic experience so far.
I was recently recognised as ‘Selling Star’ at the annual Asda team conference in January and was utterly shocked, and delighted, to receive the award. We have worked hard to develop strong fashion credentials for the George brand in NI and we were also given the title of the Top Region of the Year in the business.
Tell us about your qualifications and training
Having left school as a teenager, moving from Bushmills to the Belfast, I had to work hard to build a successful career for myself. I began on the shop floor as a sales assistant and spent several years really working to understand the retail sector and how it operated.
I took every opportunity that was provided to learn more and to be involved in as many aspects of the business as possible, from sales technique to financial management, and was rewarded with a step up into a store manager position. Since then I haven’t looked back, pushing myself and working hard to continuously improve and develop within my chosen career, and quickly moving up into a regional manager role.
When I joined the George team at Asda I was delighted with the fantastic support network that is in place and the training opportunities that are available; from Women & Leadership courses to Brand Me development programmes.
The opportunities to learn and progress has really motivated me to succeed and I make sure to take advantage of a variety of programmes from coaching and business analysis to trend watching and predictions, to stay ahead of the game.
What qualities are required for your job – personal and professional?
First and foremost it is vital to have strong leadership and coaching abilities. When you are responsible for George colleagues across 17 stores it is important to be able to both lead and to help people to develop all at the same time.
Being able to forward plan and to have a common sense approach to practical issues and problems is also very important and having a real sense of enthusiasm and determination has been the greatest boost to my career with Asda.
What is the best advice you ever received?
I always live by the rule of taking time to plan and prepare. I am a firm believer that if you commit time to build firm foundations in whatever you do, whether it is personally or professionally, then everything else can be built on top of this with ease.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
I have two children, Jacob, who is 8-years-old, and Abbey, who is 18. Abbey is studying drama in London so it is really important for us to get together as much as we can to enjoy some quality family time.
Who has inspired you most in your life?
Asda’s general store managers are a real inspiration to me. They have worked their way up through the ranks of Asda, beginning on the shop floor, and their progression through the company really highlights the fact that if you work hard and have a desire to succeed, then nothing is out of your reach.