Research, travel, analyse, strategise, repeat

With a background in finance, Toni wanted a career that would utilise her skills and enable her to make her mark. That’s when she discovered RB.

I joined RB in June 2014 as a Manager in the Route to Store team. The team sits within Global Sales based in the UK and operates effectively as an internal strategic consultancy team.

Typically, we work in small teams of two on projects for the different RB markets. On a typical project we will spend one to two weeks in the UK, collecting data, completing desktop research and initial analysis. Then we visit the market for two to three weeks where we gather information from store visits and meetings with the local team and build a deep understanding of our business in that particular market.

After that, we return to spend another two to three weeks analysing the data in the UK before making recommendations and the cycle starts again.

Prior to joining RB, my background was in finance; I worked at Ernst and Young for four years in Transaction Advisory Services as a Chartered Accountant. Many senior positions within companies tend to be filled by people with a finance background. I believe finance gives you a grounding and platform from which to build a great career in business. Finance is integral and at the heart of every business.

When I made the decision to leave EY, I wanted to move into a more strategic role. I had both my experience in pure financial due diligence, and also operational advisory and I wanted to take these skills and apply them in a much more strategic environment.

Now as a Senior Manager in the Route-to-Store team, my role is very analytical, involving large amounts of data. The outcomes you’re developing are very strategically focused and they always address: “how do we grow the business?”, “how can we drive efficiency?”, “how can we outperform?” and “what steps do we take to achieve this?”

Overarching all of this, our recommendations are always rooted in driving improvements in profit and loss. This role was the perfect combination of analytics and strategy for me – I always tell people how much I love my job!

For me, the culture of RB was a huge pull. I know that I work best when I’m under pressure and when I push myself outside of my comfort zone. At RB, you work in a demanding and competitive environment, but you’re empowered to drive change and you get recognition for for hard work and pushing the boundaries.

RB is hugely entrepreneurial, particularly for an organization of this size. You have the opportunity to think outside of the box and come up with fresh ideas, characteristics that you would normally associate with much smaller companies.

Working in an international company where you have the ability to act entrepreneurially and drive change, is truly unique. You drive your own career, and I really felt this was an environment in which I would thrive and develop.

RB people profile:

• Name: Toni
• Job title: Senior Manager, Route to Store
• Worked at RB for: 1 year
• First joined RB: June 2014
• Something not many people know about you: I am 100% tone deaf and I’m therefore regular entertainment for my friends!

Quick-fire question:

Who inspires you?

New entrepreneurs who have the courage to give up their secure and successful careers to start their own companies and follow their passions.The hard work and determination of these people is truly inspirational and shows that if you want something badly enough, you really can make it happen.