Zoë Matthews
Chalfont,Bucks
Summary
Over fifteen years' experience in the retail sector gained in a variety of roles, working in many different areas & with all levels. I am highly organised and analytical with excellent interpersonal skills & a proven track record of identifying areas of improvement and adding value to whatever new challenge I undertake.
Overview
31
31
years of professional experience
10
10
years of post-secondary education
Work history
Professional Development Expert
Corndel
05.2018 - 07.2025
- Delivering tailored coaching, mentoring, and teaching to a cohort of 47 learners across senior, middle, and entry levels. Supporting their completion of a Leadership & Management qualification, and developing their skills as effective leaders.
- Facilitating one-to-one development sessions, adapting theoretical course content to meet individual learner needs and workplace contexts.
- Monitoring learner progress against milestones, ensuring timely submission of high-quality assignments and compliant portfolios of evidence.
- Conducting engaging and impactful workshops to motivate and educate learners, enhancing their leadership capabilities.
- Achievements:
- Consistently exceeded learner completion targets and satisfaction benchmarks.
- Recognised for delivering personalized, high-impact coaching that translated into measurable improvements in managerial performance.
- Recognised by new colleagues for supporting their development by sharing knowledge, materials and best-practice, and giving my time to help them embed successful into the PDE role.
Marketing Manager
Naturisimo
03.2015 - 04.2021
- Management of marketing team & development of promotional plan to deliver marketing strategy across whole business
- Sales & promotional analysis and reporting
- Development and reporting of business KPIs
- Achievements:
- Designed & implemented new processes for the marketing team to cope with a rapidly expanding business, allowing us to work effectively with 180 brands to tight deadlines
- Delivered new annual promotional plan resulting in a 30% uplift in promotional sales in 2017
- Designed & delivered new suite of Business KPIs to allow us to measure previously unquantifiable KPIs such as ‘Customer Retention' and to better track our progress towards Company goals
Cover Teacher
Dr Challoner's High School for Girls
01.2014 - 03.2015
- Providing cover lessons for 11 to 16 year-olds as required
Campaign Manager: Drive iQ
A2om CIC
09.2011 - 12.2014
- Company Overview: A not-for-profits social enterprise providing free on-line driver education software & knowledge/advice for parents with teen drivers. Their mission is to reduce road deaths & injuries among young people
- Liaising with schools & colleges to encourage use of Drive iQ materials
- Management of sales team & development of new strategies to increase distribution
- Sales analysis & reporting
- Achievements:
- Responsible for the take up of the software in over one thousand institutions
- Designed & ran software training sessions for pupils & teachers
- Sales, marketing & launch of new Nanny Drive iQ product
- Initiated & drove the use of using social media to generate interest & increase awareness of product
DSG Work Stream Project Manager - Change Management
Dixons Stores Group International plc (DSG)
01.2003 - 01.2007
- Understanding, capturing & interpreting business requirements for the project scope, to ensure a solution that fits & delivers the required business benefits on time and budget
- Writing of functional specifications to enable quality technical design of business solutions
- Managing testing of data integrity & functional effectiveness of the programme's deliverables
- Developing & delivering training of business solutions, ensuring users have a good understanding of the new tools & processes. Providing on-going coaching & support to ensure changes are sustained
- Achievements:
- Led design workshops for new ‘customer availability' measures to ensure business users understood, contributed to, & bought in to design solution
- Designed & delivered overview sessions for key performance measures to Directors & senior teams
- Successfully managed the design & testing of reporting deliverables to time & quality
DSG Commercial Planning Manager – Audio/Visual
01.2001 - 01.2003
- Produced commercial stock plans across 2 key areas, managing a budget of over £100 million
- Ensured smooth stock builds were in place for peak times, to support sales & optimise stock availability
- Partnered with Buying & Marketing functions to ensure strategic planning of the Audio area to deliver against category targets & budget
- Achievements:
- Achieved stock turn improvement of 9% YOY via improvements in forecast accuracy & supply chain efficiencies
- Managed launch of new DAB Digital Radio category, worth £1.8m turnover in its first year, outperforming targets by 15%
DSG Senior Commercial Planner – E-Commerce
01.2000 - 01.2001
- Key member of a project team tasked with integrating the ‘Direct' (on-line) business into the store allocation system. Re-designed systems, processes & reports to achieve a scalable solution for ‘direct' selling within the Dixons Group. Gained a 200% increase in sales within first 6 months (budget 150%)
- Managed category ranging & stock planning for the successful launches of the Currys & Link Web sites
DSG Commercial Planner – DSG Ireland
01.1999 - 01.2000
- Responsible for maintaining the allocation of stock to branches in line with sales forecasts & range plans
Assistant Product Manager: Rental
Blockbuster Entertainment Ltd
01.1997 - 01.1999
- Managed all areas of the rental film range throughout product life cycle. Responsibilities included range selection, copy depth, allocation, marketing/promotional initiatives & operational communication.
- Negotiated marketing offers with Suppliers. Brief Marketing team on specifications & layout of new release product in company in-store magazine, Direct Mail & Web Page
- Achievements:
- Successfully co-ordinated & implemented launch of new format (DVD) to 150 stores
Customer Service Manager
Bristol & West Building Society
01.1995 - 01.1997
- Responsible for the day-to-day management of the branch, & overall business performance of the team
Education
Bachelor of Law (LLB Hons) -
Kingston University
01.1992 - 01.1995
A-Level - Maths, Geography, Chemistry
Vyners School
01.1989 - 01.1991
GCSE - 9 including Maths & English Language
Vyners School
01.1984 - 01.1989
Skills
- MS Office: Excel, Word, PowerPoint Database: Business Objects, Mainframe AS400, Manugistics
Hobbies and Interests
Interests include – Complementary Health: I hold diplomas in Anatomy & Physiology, Reflexology & Massage, & have a general interest in health, fitness & nutrition. I enjoy running, Pilates, badminton & walking my dog, but balance this with a love of baking & savouring dark chocolate!
Training
Presentation Skills – Advanced Excel Skills – Strategic Influencing Skills – Business Assertiveness Change Management – Finance for Non-Financial Managers – Advanced Business Objects Skills
Affiliations
- Fitness & Health: Gym - Pilates - Badminton Travel & Food: Travel - foodie - self-confessed chocoholic
Timeline
Professional Development Expert
Corndel
05.2018 - 07.2025
Marketing Manager
Naturisimo
03.2015 - 04.2021
Cover Teacher
Dr Challoner's High School for Girls
01.2014 - 03.2015
Campaign Manager: Drive iQ
A2om CIC
09.2011 - 12.2014
DSG Work Stream Project Manager - Change Management
Dixons Stores Group International plc (DSG)
01.2003 - 01.2007
DSG Commercial Planning Manager – Audio/Visual
01.2001 - 01.2003
DSG Senior Commercial Planner – E-Commerce
01.2000 - 01.2001
DSG Commercial Planner – DSG Ireland
01.1999 - 01.2000
Assistant Product Manager: Rental
Blockbuster Entertainment Ltd
01.1997 - 01.1999
Customer Service Manager
Bristol & West Building Society
01.1995 - 01.1997
Bachelor of Law (LLB Hons) -
Kingston University
01.1992 - 01.1995
A-Level - Maths, Geography, Chemistry
Vyners School
01.1989 - 01.1991
GCSE - 9 including Maths & English Language
Vyners School
01.1984 - 01.1989
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