Last week marked a special occasion as we brought together women leaders from across the Active portfolio for a special International Women’s Day breakfast event with Marty Wikstrom.
Hosted at the beautiful Caravan site in Covent Garden, Marty joined us for a fireside chat with Janice Cargo to share her remarkable career story and what she’s learnt along the way.
Marty is a seasoned brand and retail leader having spent 35 years in global executive roles at some of the industry’s most prominent brands. These include Managing Director of Harrods, making her its only female director in 182 years of business, CEO of Compagnie Financière Richemont SA’s Fashion and Accessories businesses and founding partner of Atelier Fund.
The conversation was full of inspiration, insights, and humour, covering everything from how Marty enacted change at Harrods, including getting rid of the £1 charge in the bathrooms, to juggling a demanding career with a young family and her thoughts on how to lead and build strong cultures in today’s hybrid world.
Here are a few of our key takeaways:
- Focus on thoughtful risk-taking and pushing fear to the side.
- There are many ways to learn, get to know the people you’re working with across all levels, wander around and ask good questions.
- Building a network of amazing women around you to support you is fundamental to success.
- People remember how you make them feel and that can’t be created through a Zoom screen. Physical connection is so important for nurturing talent and building successful cultures.
“Some days are diamonds, and some are stones, but I’m a big believer in the mantra – get up, dress up and show up.” – Marty Wikstrom.
