The Head of Retail and Online Sales (ROS) is responsible for the management and development of the Memorial’s commercial operations, in particular online sales via ebusiness and retail sales via the Memorial Shop. This involves the development of marketing and business plans and provision of advice and policies to senior management that will provide for growth in commercial returns and effective management of operations. The Head ROS is also responsible for the strategic development and management of IT systems that support ebusiness and shop activities, and advice in relation to the Memorial’s publication program including contract management.Leadership and development of the team is of equal importance to ensure the success of the division.

Approached by Village Roadshow to project manage the set-up and launch of the retail division for the new Wet'n'Wild Water World Sydney.Achievements:* Responsible for the store design, managed shop fit outs and developed VM standards* Responsible for the warehouse design, layout and operational logistics* Set the retail budgets: Sales, COGs, expenses and staffing levels to meet financial expectations* Sourced and selected over 5000 branded and non-branded products* Wrote and delivered the retail induction and training modules with a focus on customer service, selling skills and shrinkage* Recruited and trained Store Managers and team* Developed and implemented all store operations policies and procedures in-line with organisation direction and OH&S * Stores opened on-time with the rest of the park, within budget, stocked with products that will sell and with well trained team

I managed a team of 270 staff covering 20 uniquely themed stores in 4 theme parks selling a variety of products from souvenir lines, fashion/surfwear, confectionery, photographic products and carnival game operations.My Key Achievements were:* Increasing sales and NOP over the previous year through a focused sales campaign to the local market, opening new outlet concept stores, expense control and balanced staffing levels.* Motivated and inspired Store Managers and teams to exceed their financial budgets and capitalise on every sale* Delivered NOP growth with a focus on sales mix, COGs, wages to sales, stock control, shrinkage control, expense control* Developed the careers of team members into Relief Store Managers and trained Store Managers to be solutions focused and tips on team member engagement

I was responsible for: market analysis, opportunity identification, setting the range direction, product lifecycle management, product development, sourcing and procurement, product launch and performance evaluation for products sold across 5 theme parks and 1 resort, 34 individually themed stores. I am a licensed merchandise specialist with experience developing products in Asian countries for 16 years including 18 trips to China working with factories and trade fairs. Strong development experience in apparel, headwear and hardgoods including injection/rotor/blow moulded items, laser cut and metal moulded products.Key Achievements:* I increased sales year-on-year by analysing category and license character performance, continual development of fresh new product and recommending new store concepts to the management team. Developed 1,500-2,000 new SKUs per annum.* I was able to lower COGs with the introduction of a focused import program in key lines including apparel, giftware, plush and souvenirs* Negotiation of all supplier contracts was under my control for both Australia and foreign countries of manufacture and I managed supplier relationships* During my time, I won the below International theme park awards which we are extremely proud of: IAAPA Brass Ring Awards 2002 – Runner-Up Merchandising Display Category IAAPA Brass Ring Awards 2003 – Winner Merchandising Display Category IAAPA Brass Ring Awards 2009 – Winner Best Drinkware IAAPA Brass Ring Awards 2009 – Winner Best Headwear

I developed souvenir products for the 3 theme parks including Warner Bros. Movie World, Sea World and Wet’n’Wild Water World ensuring all items comply with the required Australian Standard.  Key Achievements:* I increased concept artwork output by 150% changing the art studio over from manual hand drawn concepts to computer generated outputs.* Being a theme park you develop a wide variety products including apparel, headwear, printed materials, drinkware, plush toys, keychains covering Looney Tunes, DC Comics, Cartoon Network, Scooby Doo, Sesame Street and branded theme park merchandise not to mention environmental, surf and fashion items.* I won world industry awards for developed products and merchandising standards from the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA): IAAPA Brass Ring Awards 2000 – Winner Adult T-shirt Category IAAPA Brass Ring Awards 2000 – Honourable Mention Child’s T-shirt Category