I am an ambitious, professional, and motivated history graduate (2:1) with significant experience in the drinks industry, specifically within wine retail, hospitality, and market research. I understand the demands of both the on and off-trade, and am target driven. I have a natural ability for building excellent client and customer relationships through my approachable personality and attention to detail. I enjoy problem solving and approach issues in a calm and thoughtful manner.
I have excellent retail and hospitality experience within the drinks industry. I began my career at Majestic Wine where I achieved a Merit in the WSET Level 3 alongside my full time Trainee Manager position, demonstrating my work ethic, enthusiasm for the industry, and ability to learn quickly. My ability to organise deliveries in a logical manner, book and host tasting events, and provide accurate and tailored advice to customers meant I was often trusted to manage stores independently. I was frequently praised for my calm approach to problem solving, ability to host tasting events, and convey complex information about various wines in a succinct and comprehensive manner.
After leaving Majestic Wine I spent a short time with Conscious Communications as a PR Account Executive. This role gave me an understanding of B2B relationships. My organisational and networking skills were valuable in arranging large scale business events for our clients. This role led me to work closely with some of the most highly regarded businesses in the region and helped me to develop the skills required to build and maintain professional relationships. I also proved myself to be a proficient independent worker; thriving under pressure to meet tight copywriting deadlines, carefully managing my clients’ social media campaigns, writing promotional articles for publication, and cementing their online presence.
In 2014 I moved back to the wine industry as a store assistant for Cambridge Wine Merchants. I was instrumental in maintaining and improving the daily operations of the branch. This included planning and making deliveries, monitoring and adjusting stock levels, managing the branch's social media accounts, creating new promotions, training new staff, and assisting them with their WSET studies. In addition to my regular duties I also designed and performed a large number of wine tastings, both in-store and at various Cambridge University Colleges. I was commended on my ability to cater my tasting events for different audiences, pair wines with suitable foods, and explain information clearly and accurately. This role provided me insight into the operational needs of wine retail and how to appeal to a variety of clients and customers.
My successes at Majestic Wine and Cambridge Wine Merchants led me to be headhunted by a previous colleague to assist in the launch of Thirsty, a new craft beer and wine bar in Cambridge. My product knowledge, sales aptitude, gracious personality, and customer relationship skills were instrumental in attracting increasing numbers of visitors to the store and bar. My instinct for developing business relationships led me to organise a variety of rotating pop-up food vans outside the bar each night, which further raised profits for the company. Within a few months our team established Thirsty as one of the most successful nightspots in Cambridge, which eventually led Thirsty to become one of the most popular night spots in Cambridge, featured in both local and national food and drink guides, including The Guardian’s Alt-City Guide to Cambridge.
In my most recent role I enjoyed using my logistical skills to manage the region of East Anglia as a Senior Field Researcher for CGA Strategy. I utilised a sales approach to independently gather vital qualitative and quantitative data for clients within the on-trade drinks industry. Working alongside other departments in order to assess the data accurately was critical, as the data provided the out-of-home market with a variety of essential insights. Maintaining a reliable data set required closely monitoring a large region, which required consistent organisation and communication skills to set up timely meetings with venue operators. My determination within this role led me to consistently meet and frequently beat my research targets and KPIs. My ability to effectively manage my region earned me a promotion to Senior Field Researcher within my first year. I was also entrusted to train three new members of the team. Throughout this role I developed a deeper understanding of the demands of the bar and restaurant industry.
Sadly in June 2020, CGA Strategy decided that due to the financial effects of the COVID-19 pandemic they would be making my department redundant. I am now looking for market research, sales, or business development roles within the drinks industry. I am willing to relocate anywhere for the right job.