Even though many of our graduates will have progressed in their careers since completing a case study, they are still of interest to students who wish to gain an understanding of the world of work.

Managing two Retail categories (Skincare and Suncare) accountable for:
- All Supply KPIs, OSA, Stock Budgets, Service Level;
- Supplier Performance & Development;
- End to End Product Lifecycle;
- Large Team Line Management;
- Supply Chain Efficiencies;
- Stock Control & Initiatives.

I tend to start my day at 7:45am, turn my laptop on and drink a cup of coffee whilst greeting my team and planning my day.

I spend 90% of my day in meetings, these can vary anything from 1:1/catch ups with one of my team, to discussing the next product launches and how we will execute this in our stores. I find no two days are the same as retail is very fast paced environment, so I have to be able to react to whatever my team or the business need from me.

During our hottest summer this year, I was responsible for making sure there was a supply chain that could react quickly to the weather, but at the same time, not leave stores with too much stock. There is an extremely technical side to my role as well as a commercial one, it's very exciting and gratifying when you go into stores and see the teams have everything they need for customers.

I have relationships spanning everything: Finance; Buying; Warehousing and Stores. Supply Chain is very complex so one of my key roles is to communicate how we will supply stores to all of these functions in the best way - this means I have to adapt my style to my audience and know how to tell a story with the right amount of detail.

It is fast-paced, demanding and exciting! Retail doesn't stand still and you are always reacting to competition and trends especially within Skincare with the rise of influencers and social media. I work with over 100 suppliers, developing our ways of working and ensuring they deliver 100% availability into us to delight our customers. I champion for Boots to be the priority with our suppliers by managing forecasts and planning between them and my team.

Boots Supply Chain spans across support office, warehousing, logistics, Pharmacy delivery and Imports. It's big business and means there is endless opportunities to develop your career.

Managing complexity - the systems are a big part of the role and knowing them is key to executing the right plan. With it being so fast paced you need to be able to make the right decisions quickly and that means understanding a lot of detail and being strong at analytical thinking.

Demanding KPIs/Targets - as a business we strive to have the best availability on shelf whilst also holding as least stock as possible. Mix this with the Buyers job to grow sales, introduce new brands and create eye-catching displays in stores and you have a tricky balance on your hands. That is why relationships are so important because ultimately we all want the same thing, which is the best experience for our customers, but it is also important to make the business as profitable as possible.

I had always worked part time in Retail throughout my education, so it was something I knew I enjoyed. Initially when I left University I got a store manager role with another retailer and this was fantastic experience to build leadership skills and a wider understand of how to run a store. After a few years I realised that my passion was more in the operations where I had to think more strategically and logistically. I like taking an idea or a plan and putting into it action, especially when you are doing that for 2500 stores nationwide and increasingly now globally, as Boots expands into global markets.

Analytical Thinking
Creativity
Organisation
Strong Attention to Detail
Communication
Planning & Forecasting
Budgeting
People Management

Sept 2012 - Jan 2014, Store Manager, Kurt Geiger.

Jan 2014 - Apr 2016, Assistant Supply Manager, Boots UK.
Areas worked in:
Electrical Beauty
Haircare
Skincare

Apr 2016 - Dec 2017, Supply Manager (Pharmacy), Boots UK.
Managed an innovation project introducing new stock systems into stores.

Dec 2017 - Present, Supply Manager (Skincare and Suncare), Boots UK.

Boots has continued to support my development brilliantly so I see myself staying with them. I am looking to progress to senior management within the next two years and there is a chance of being supported through a Leadership and Business masters too!

Take any opportunity no matter what level to start in the area you're interested in. I did not have a clear path when I left university so instead kept following roles that I enjoyed. Supply Chain can appear to be just getting products from A to B but behind the scenes there is a complex function, which provides an opportunity to really impact the way our businesses operate and how productive they are - I find that so exciting and means I can see the impact I have at work in a really physical/tangible way.

I have progressed quite quickly but that has mainly been down to putting the effort and the hours in and making sure I have mentors and colleagues to guide my development.