Triple Threat - My Career Path into Luxury Fashion
Matches Fashion, Selfridges, and NET-A-PORTER, all places I’ve called home over the years.
I started out in call centres as an agent back in 2001, and over the last 22 years, I’ve navigated my way through almost every role you can imagine. I’ve worked in-house, outsourced, and hybrid setups, both locally and globally, across multiple languages and technologies for some of the most beloved brands. Always a call centre, customer service or customer care.
Through these experiences, I gained a deep understanding of many things, but a few stand out: a clear purpose, operational excellence, and the importance of an amazing team.
Circa 2010, I applied for a role at NET-A-PORTER and didn’t get past the CV stage - no interview, nothing. I tried again a few years later with the same result. Fast forward to 2015, and this time, with the help of a recruiter, I finally secured a role. If at first you don’t succeed… try something different, perhaps? I believe it was a matter of timing and the right leadership. They were looking to solve a problem that someone like me, with a deep understanding of dispersed call centre operations, could help with growing pains.
And so, here I was in luxury fashion (minus the fashion sense!), adding value in the most basic way. I built my internal network quickly, booking diary time with as many people as possible, and asking each one, “Who else should I meet?” These connections helped me become effective immediately. Win-win? My view at the time was that it was organised chaos - a huge machine where vast parts of the organisation didn’t know or were disconnected from others. Yet, this wasn’t a problem. NAP, as we called it, was the key that would go on to help me unlock the others…
Selfridges – I joined Selfridges through LinkedIn DMs, FTC starting as maternity cover with the expectation that I’d be leaving soon after. I ended up staying for seven years. A cohesive, well-oiled group with a strong North Star approach - everyone knew their role and the part they played in the success of the world’s best department store. A true creative playground that attracted top talent, often leading to high-level projects executed brilliantly. I really made my mark and delivered things that will serve me well going forward.
Matches Fashion – It took two tries to get in, and a change in leadership played a part in opening the doors the second time around. Similar to NET-A-PORTER, the timing was right for me to help simplify the operating model for customer care. An amazing place to work, set against the backdrop of tough retail times. One of the most transparent leadership teams I’ve worked with - a company-wide Slack channel where you could ask anything and get a C-level response. The right team, at the wrong time.
So that’s the short version of how I ended up in luxury fashion. Have you ever applied to a role more than once?
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Assistant Marketing Manager | Experienced in Marketing Operations & Brand Management | Effective Communicator & Results-Driven Professional
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