A Day in the Life of a Sales Director

Each week tends to look different, as we structure our work around the buying seasons. As an outerwear supplier we take 70% of our yearly sales from autumn/winter order confirmations, so there tends to be a timeline of preparation for A/W meetings — visiting fabric and product shows, research, development with mills and factories, all with the retailers' briefs and tastes at the heart of it. Monday mornings are always a little more frantic, with many emails and calls from our Far East office that need immediate attention. I am only as good as my team around me, so I invest time in having the right staff and empowering them to do their jobs and grow their careers. We have weekly team meetings to go through all orders and make sure everything is on track, and we are constantly reviewing ranges and fabrics we are showing our customers. My role involves travel, mostly to China over the past few years — to our office, or to accompany customers on development trips or factory visits. As a supplier, we work with our factories and Far East teams to deliver the best products, on time. We problem-solve, go the extra ten miles, and work together to make it happen!

We have seen the Topshop skiwear range go from strength to strength since its conception eight years ago — this range takes over a year from design development to store delivery, and it really is an all-encompassing project every year! I was also thrilled to head up the team awarded the licence for the 2012 London Olympics baby and kidswear. Seeing the project and planning — from when they started cleaning the soil for the site, to developing products with retailers, to the actual event — was pretty special.

Jobs in this sector are demanding — but not if you are driven by the passion to do it; you will always find that opportunity. Get involved wherever you can: retail experience, internships, look up companies you'd like to work for in your area and write to them directly. Take the time to talk to people — you never know where it might take you!

Coaching or HR — I'm a people person!

I'd head straight for Sweaty Betty. I love their leggings (you can never have too many); their fabrics are always super-lux soft and they look amazing, and the colours are always bang on trend for the product!