Rachel Caulfield

Lejoman Holdings is a multinational, Sydney-based retail supplier and vendor importing high-quality goods from China. Having established a longstanding professional relationship with the leadership team, I was approached to manage the Australian and New Zealand operations while actively looking for ways to drive business growth. Working alongside the South African based Executive Team, I set and defined the strategic direction of the Au/NZ business which included defining short and long-term goals in line with current market activity and realigning operational processes to become an autonomous business unit. Key Achievements: • Cultivated and nurtured relationships with suppliers and industry stakeholders, critically assessed existing contracts with 14 China-based factories and reduced our vendor base to ensure our suppliers were able to deliver in accordance with our business strategy, this led to a huge improvement in delivery performance compared to previous seasons. • Introduced new factories and negotiated favorable terms which saw the factory supply the entire international group. • Spearheaded sales and business development strategies while leveraging existing relationships with major clients and analysed sales activities to optimise profit margins and stock levels to drive revenue growth. • Sourced and secured new warehouse and distribution facilities, identified challenges facing the previous provider and negotiated terms to optimise dispatch and delivery times thereby ensuring the customer experience was prioritised. • Drove cost saving initiatives while project managing the relocation of the Sydney office and negotiated lease agreements.

Having gained almost 15 years’ experience across various roles within the organisation, I was promoted to Merchandise Buying Manager where I managed a range of buying portfolios including all family underwear and sleepwear, women’s, men’s and children’s apparel, school wear and sports licensing product. Key Achievements: • Leveraged insights gained at an operational level to devise and implement a strategy which revitalised stock options, reevaluated vendor agreements and diversified the product range which achieved a significant increase in profit. • Successfully managed a massive buying portfolio while overseeing the full merchandising lifecycle, led planning and forecasting initiatives to ensure the success of our portfolio and consistently achieved targeted sales and profit margins in conjunction with sales and marketing teams. • Identified and pursued growth opportunities across various categories and established business partnerships which secured increases in sales. • Sourced, negotiated and secured mutually beneficial vendor contracts which aligned with current and future business objectives, maintained open and honest communication channels and negotiated fair and favourable terms in order to maximise profitability while maintaining the highest quality standards.