One thing leads to another
"From a disruptive sixth form, I got a degree that I really didn’t enjoy. However, it was because I didn’t enjoy my degree in Mathematics, that I moved to the Business School for my final year, which I absolutely loved. My philosophy was that nothing in life is straightforward. But even when you don’t like something, you have to find how you can pivot to something that makes it work or matches what you want. I think this was the moment when I saw the importance of leadership that inspires people to be the best they can be.
I went into accountancy, but specifically to do analysis, so instead of the usual route of joining the big 4, I joined Debenhams and loved it. Because it impacted the story we were sharing with our customers. Because I realised that I have a very analytical, mathematical brain, and because I also recognise that numbers without creative interpretation, are simply numbers. They are only as good as the translation of them into real-world understanding and change."
Loyalty is key
"I moved to Superdrug working for Finance and business partnering with the Marketing teams. And I think my way of translating data into easy-to-understand language helped bring the two disciplines together. An opportunity arose in the Marketing team to lead their Loyalty programme to cover maternity leave in the Loyalty space. I think Superdrug are great for this. They encourage people to try new things and experience different parts of the business. This helps keep creative thinking fresh as you get people from different backgrounds with different perspectives."
Focusing on growth
"Working on the Loyalty programme really opened my world up. I was dealing with people across functions and the wider Group. And this helped me to develop so many different skills. I redesigned and implemented loyalty drivers to broaden its appeal such as member-only pricing, exclusive benefits for members, and frequency-based incentives and it grew it from 3 million to 13 million members."
Insight led marketing
"I then set up the insight function, having used data first-hand in Loyalty as a customer of data, I knew I could provide data in a way that was accessible to many other functions. The ‘A future of marketing and data science for decision making’ course really supported my thoughts that better insight led to better outcomes. And not just for us. The department was seen as a centre of excellence that benefited our brands across AS Watson and external partners."
Marketing for mobile
"The next initiative that I worked on, was a partnership between the mobile phone network 3 and Superdrug. That was challenging and great fun. It was a different industry thinking about subscriptions, very different to retail where you're thinking about the transaction there and then, but it's far more technologically focused. Most importantly, it opened up my world to entrepreneurial thinking. Again, something that is so helpful when looking at new ideas."
Adapting through different structures
"I’ve developed so much since joining AS Watson. I think that’s my way though. I have a strong desire to keep learning. And I love to take on new challenges. Whatever they may be. We’re so lucky to be part of a culture that positively wants people to continuously improve and move forward. It’s empowering. I have been able to make things happen, which is really exciting for me. I’m not sure where my next career move is. I’ve learned so much about so many aspects of this business, so who knows? What I do know is that if I can think of something that will add real value to the business, it’s very possible to make it happen."