Beth’s been with Blue Square since October 2019. In under five years, she’s had three roles within the Samsung team progressing from Regional Manager to Head of Training and Operations. In our eyes, Beth is a superstar in – and outside – of work, from being an incredible support to her team and an amazing mother at home, in honour of International Women’s Day, we thought it’d be great to sit down and ask Beth to walk us through her time here and her tips for anyone wondering how they can progress in their career.
I joined Blue Square in 2019 after over a decade in the beauty industry doing various management roles. I’d gained a good understanding of retail at that time but I felt it was time for a change of industry to continue my professional growth.
My first Blue Square role was as a Regional Manager for central London – juggling a three-year-old and an extremely fast-paced role was a challenge at times but it was one I embraced. And then, soon after joining, the world stopped due to the global pandemic. We were forced to adapt how we worked which was a real challenge for a retail team. During lockdown, I was fortunate to be involved in some new work streams – such as the launch of the E-Promoter function which was brilliant for gaining insight into the ‘.com’ side of the business.
When the world opened back up, I was promoted to the Lead Regional Manager Role within the same region. This was a fantastic opportunity to get closer to some of the strategic decision-making and gain a better understanding of the longer-term planning for the field team.
In February 2021, I welcomed my second daughter and took nine months off. Soon after returning to the business, I was promoted to Head of Field Training and Operations. The nine months I’ve spent in the role so far have been amazing and have allowed me to see the business from a completely different perspective. It’s given me a real insight into all the work that goes into the training strategy and how early plans are built ahead of product launches and activations.
Being new to an industry – and the company – gave me more motivation to ask ALL the questions and look to learn about every part of the industry as well as learning the ethos of the company. I tried my best to understand each function and the part they play in the business and ensured I made good relationships within the functions that would help me and my teams.
I also took the time to research the industry and made sure I kept up to date with trends and understood what the market was doing. I also think being inquisitive and offering support on different work streams allowed me to become well-rounded and grow my experience outside of my immediate role.
Take an interest in all areas of the business – it’ll allow you to have a well-rounded view and help your decision-making. Always offer support to your wider team to ensure that the common goal is hit. Enjoy what you do every day, take pride in your work and celebrate everyone’s successes, no matter how small!
The opportunities and the wide range of experiences we get to be a part of as well as the people. I’ve had the privilege of having some amazing mentors during my time, who’ve supported me in reaching and achieving my goals – both professionally and personally. The teams I’ve been lucky enough to lead are made up of some of the most passionate, talented, hardworking and resilient people I’ve ever met.
Hard work, teamwork, and passion.
You have the power to determine your progression, ask for opportunities and embrace them.
Work with others and build your network – allow yourself to be part of new conversations and always give and take feedback.
Have pride and passion for what you and your team do – seeing your team progress and driving their career is one of the best things you can see as a manager of people.
If you’d like to join our dream team, take a look at our current roles here
