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Career path:
2007 to date
Group Brand Director
Austin Reed & CC
2005 - 2007
Buying & Merchandising Director
CC (formerly Country Casuals)
2003 - 2005
Head of Buying
Internacionale
1998 - 2003
Senior Buyer, Casualwear
Arcadia (Dorothy Perkins)
1992 - 1998
BAA / Buyer, Formalwear
Arcadia (Topman)
- Name:
- Ros Giles
- Employer:
- Austin Reed Group
- Position:
- Group Brand Director
Q: What made you choose to join your current employer?
The idea of working on a new customer profile (CC) and a brand with the heritage and long-standing reputation of Austin Reed was an appealing challenge. Taking any brand that has been around for a long time and driving it forward is an exciting prospect.
Q: What is the basic function/purpose of your current role?
The role is very creative and diverse covering buying, merchandising, marketing, PR & online activities. The main purpose of the role is to drive the brand forward from a creative and commercial point of view to increase sales. I am responsible for overseeing everything from product to promotions to photo shoots, ensuring teams deliver everything on time, in line with the customer profile and within budget.
Q: How relevant were your qualifications to you getting the job?
My qualifications were very relevant as a degree and interest in retail was essential to be considered for my initial role at Arcadia.
Q: Describe some of the key tasks involved in performing your current role and the frequency with which you have to perform them.
Being creative and managing people, developing new ranges and concepts e.g. AR Red (a modern contemporary collection that can be mixed and matched to create a more fashionable look as an alternative to Austin Reed's main line), working with design to develop colour palettes and themes, overseeing photo shoots, approving marketing and PR initiatives, visiting stores, building relations with brand ambassadors, attending board meetings, the list is varied, constant and endless!
Q: What’s the first thing you do when you arrive at work each day?
Assess the previous day's sales!
Q: How big is the team in which you work?
I have six direct reports with an overall team of 60.
Q: Describe how your job interacts with the rest of your team.
Whilst I have six direct reports, I work closely with all members of the team on a whole spectrum of activities and areas, which provides them with direct access to me and the other senior members of the management team and thereby a level of exposure and involvement in business activities that they just wouldn't get in other businesses.
Q: How would you describe the working culture of your current employer?
There is a clear structure in place within each department in terms of reporting lines and development opportunities. However, we work in an open-plan office and I and the other directors, including the CEO, sit amongst our teams so the atmosphere is very informal and friendly.
Q: What career avenues do you hope to be able to pursue in the next: two years, five years & ten years?
I aim to develop further within my current role as there are so many opportunities both organically or by acquisition for both brands, I can see myself staying here for a long time!
Q: What do you like most about your current role and why?
I like the speed at which we all work; decisions are made and actioned extremely quickly - we react well to the ever-changing retail and economic climates. I also love the creative direction I have over everything from product design to photo shoots.
Q: What did you/do you find hardest about your current role?
The biggest challenge is having time to do everything - I have an ever-increasing 'nice to do' list which is one of the reasons why I plan to be here for some time!
Q: How close do you think the general public’s view of your employer is to the reality?
Fairly close, we did research with our current employees on how they would describe working here and 'friendly' scored the highest. Perhaps the general public have a more formal view of Austin Reed due to its brand heritage.
Q: Would you recommend your employer to a friend and if so, why?
Absolutely, in fact I have employed five friends/former colleagues so far and they in turn have brought people on board since joining!
If there's an employee you think epitomises your company ethos or you'd like to draw attention to a particular role, why not get in touch with our team right now? Just email: advertising@theappointment.co.uk.
