“I started working in retail when I was 14, a Saturday shift in a shoe shop. My parents had a strong work ethic having both been migrants to the UK from Tunisia and Ireland. They arrived with very little and worked multiple jobs to set themselves up for family life, so as soon as I was able, I got a weekend job.   

This was how I was introduced to the term Visual Merchandising (VM). My manager saw I was good at it and gave me responsibility for all the shop displays. It spiralled from there with me landing my first VM role in a clothing shop where I learned more about VM and styling techniques.   

This led to a role as VM manager in an M&S store. I moved into a role supporting store refits, and VM planning and launches for the whole country, which then led to a placement in the M&S International team. 

There is a misconception that VM is just about display, in fact good styling can change browsers into shoppers, and making customers feel good about being in your stores is what ultimately puts money in the till.   

I was promoted to Head of Windows - one of my proudest achievements. We won our first award for our Christmas windows in 2014. Following a role as a VM and Marketing project manager in M&S Food, I took on my current role as M&S Food store designer. I’m part of the team leading the transformation of our stores, it’sbeen incredibly busy as we continue to refine our designs and innovate in-store design.  

Christmas at M&S, 2014

I’ve created some really fun projects, including interactive Percy Pig and Colin the Caterpillar features in-store and a Percy Pig pop-up shop! I also worked on the re-design of the M&S Archive exhibition which was new design territory for me and a great experience.

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Having been in this role for five years, I can look back on all the projects I’ve delivered, some more successful than others, but it’s important that we continue to be bold, push boundaries and try new things. Our customers have high expectations of our brand, and we have a duty to our heritage to keep innovating with new products and ideas.   

Throughout all these achievements there are some core skills I’ve developed and used;   

• Resilience – in a design role you have to be able to take feedback even when you don’t agree! I have a responsibility to put forward the best solutions but ultimately, the client must be happy.   

• Collaboration – this job involves lots of stakeholders across the business as well as external partners in design agencies and contractors, so you need to be able to communicate well, be supportive and respectful of others.   

• Thirst for knowledge - the ability to question and research to get under the skin of the ‘why and what’ of the design.   

• Commerciality – I have to keep the customer and business at the heart of what I do. Will it make a difference to our customers? How will it work for store colleagues? Am I using the best materials for the job?    

• Creativity – it’s important for me to find different sources of inspiration, and to keep up to date with innovation in my field by visiting trade shows or simply by seeing what our competitors are doing in their stores.”