Lesley Barrow

• Managing 15+ brands: Portfolio management and a collaborative service lead approach including YSL, Armani, Lancome, Prada, Urban Decay and a vast Fragrance range.
• Retail Turnover Responsibility: £11+ Million, across multiple retailers and Boutique. Delivering growth of 7% in 2025 ahead of divisional target and with exceptional staff retention.
• Boutique Store Management: Led and mentored Kiehls Free Standing Store, retailing £1million. Operational excellence, stock management, cash handling, H&S.
• Multi-Brand Transformation: Leading regional transition from a Mono-Brand to a Multi-Brand operating model. Lead restructuring process of 100+ employees consultation process. Communication of redesigned consumer journey and executed a total team cross-training initiative to support full brand portfolio.
• Business Turnaround: Restored a behind market region to consistent growth within 8 months of transformation while maintaining high morale and staff retention.
• Strategic Growth: Implemented category strategies that increased market share in top-priority "top-door" locations. Through analysing market performance, adjusting focus and planning for trend opportunities.
• Financial Accountability: Oversaw comprehensive regional budgets (FTE, Events, Agency); conducted rigorous performance analysis and corrective actions to ensure lean, high-ROI operations.

Digital Innovation: Championed adoption of Omni-channel Business Advisor tools and CRM tech to optimize field performance and Customer Experience Excellence (CXE).

• Retail Responsibility: 25 to 35 Business Accounts Across Scotland contributing to £7million in sales. Exceeding brand KPIs at store level and delivering ahead of brand and market area growth consistently.
• Commercial Alignment: Leveraged retail data analytics to secure stakeholder support for business development initiatives, aligning local operational decisions with long-term commercial objectives.
• People Leadership: 80+ Head Count, Led coaching and mentoring for diverse store teams, prioritizing skill enhancement and professional growth to ensure an empowered and high-performing talent pipeline.
• Divisional Survey: Effectively communicated and engaged a workforce in the National employee survey. Achieving best in class completion rate, best in division for Engagement & Enablement scores.

L'ORÉAL LUXE (LANCOME) | UKI Field Project Lead | [2020-2024]

• High-Value Impact: Delivered 9% YoY growth in Gift-with-Purchase results, driving sales for a £4M promotional period for a major UK retailer. Managing Departmental stakeholder management, Educational content nationally and reporting & reviewing national performance. Providing invaluable insight for short term changes and long term strategies.
• National Competitor Benchmarking: Contributed to brand enhancement and divisional training initiatives, leveraging market insights to strengthen brand positioning.

JOHN LEWIS & PARTNERS | Department Manager | 2003 – 2006

JOHN LEWIS & PARTNERS | Graduate Scheme | 2001 – 2003

• Transformation Leadership (Beauty): Led a major premium beauty refit, managing a workforce of 100+ professionals (20 Partners, 80 Brand Consultants).
• Best Practice Development: Collaborated with Oxford Street flagship to establish national "best practice" standards for multi-million-pound renovations.
• Strategic B2B Growth: Built high-value contracts with local organizations for branded schoolwear, driving consistent YoY growth in Childrenswear sector.

Crisis & Store Leadership: Acted as Branch Duty Manager, overseeing total store operations and crisis management.