Melissa Drennan

Startup. eCommerce. Customer Research. Investor Funding. Business Reset and Pivot. Releaseit Holdings is a parent company focused on sustainability-driven platforms, including Green Friday, an eco-conscious alternative to Black Friday promoting responsible consumption through a marketplace, and Kindershare, a peer-to-peer rental platform for baby and children’s gear. Key Focus: Led the strategic pivot and turnaround of sustainability-focused eCommerce platforms, halving operational costs and redesigning business models to improve commercial viability while driving innovation and growth in the circular economy.

Retail Executive. eCommerce. Business Transformation. Business Reset and Restructure. Team development. Catch is a leading Australian e-commerce platform offering a wide range of products across multiple categories, while Wesfarmers is one of Australia’s largest conglomerates, with diverse operations in retail, industrial, and other sectors, and the parent company of Catch. Key focus: Led a $350m eCommerce business transformation, reducing stockholding by 50%, implementing lean processes, and driving cost efficiency through operational restructuring. Delivered a 40% reduction in overheads while ensuring business continuity. Reporting directly to the MD, lead a retail team of 100+ people.

Brand strategy. Tech innovation. Strategic projects. The General Store is a retail strategy and innovation agency that partners with businesses to drive growth through brand strategy, customer experience, and cutting-edge technologies such as web3, mixed reality, and crypto. Key focus: Partnered with key clients to develop long-term innovation strategies, including strategic roadmaps and cutting-edge technology integration projects for clients like THE ICONIC. Facilitated cross-functional collaboration on tech innovation initiatives like Web3.

Business process. Transformation office. New initiative product delivery. Project management. Sustainability. THE ICONIC is a leading Australian and New Zealand online fashion and lifestyle retailer, offering a wide range of products with a focus on sustainability, customer experience, and fast delivery services. Key focus: Concluded my nearly 10-year tenure at THE ICONIC, during which the business grew from ~$10M to ~$700M in revenue and expanded from fewer than 100 people to over 800. Led a cross-functional team of 20 people in addition to project matrix leadership, overseeing the Transformation Office and Sustainability function. Spearheaded the development of new categories and innovative business models to drive future growth. Delivered on strategic market expansions while aligning the business with long-term sustainability goals.

Customer Lifetime Value, Investment optimisation. Segmentation. Supply & Demand analytics. Key focus: Led marketing strategy with a focus on optimising customer lifetime value, investment, and segmentation. Developed data-driven marketing models to enhance performance and promotional effectiveness. Collaborated cross-functionally to align supply and demand analytics with category management and trade marketing, driving customer segmentation and long-term growth through targeted marketing strategies.

Chief of Staff / CEO advisor. Strategic projects. Internal consulting. Group process optimisation. IPO preparation. Global Fashion Group (GFG) is a leading online fashion and lifestyle retailer operating in emerging markets, including THE ICONIC in ANZ, Dafiti in Latin America, Lamoda in CIS, and Zalora in Southeast Asia, providing localised e-commerce platforms with access to global brands. Key focus: Acted as Chief of Staff and advisor to the CEO, leading strategic global projects across GFG’s operations. Played a key role in preparing GFG for its IPO, managing M&A due diligence, global restructuring, and governance initiatives. Streamlined cross-functional processes to ensure business scalability and readiness for public listing, while supporting CEO transitions and driving investor confidence.

Business strategy. Budgets and forecasting. Financial modelling. THE ICONIC is a leading Australian and New Zealand online fashion and lifestyle retailer, offering a wide range of products with a focus on sustainability, customer experience, and fast delivery services. Key focus: Defined and built the planning and buying function from the ground up, adapting to rapid growth and continuous change from startup to a developed business. Led budgeting, range analysis, structured the planning processes, and established operating rhythms to support efficient inventory management and category planning. Internally developed SaaS products and integrated external SaaS solutions to enhance efficiency and scalability. Implemented scalable processes that aligned with business goals, enabling the company to grow from ~$10M to ~$300M in revenue during this period. Spearheaded cross-functional collaboration between buying, finance, and marketing teams to ensure alignment and drive business growth.