Kathryn Lamb

Name: Kathryn Lamb

Employer: First Choice Retail

Area of work: Travel agents

University: University of Derby

Subject: Tourism

I found an advert for an assistant shop manager with First Choice Travel Shop when I was in my final year at university. I wasn’t quite sure what it entailed, but thought the sales side sounded interesting and that it would be a good starting ground. I become a shop manager eight months later, then moved to head office as a communications support executive and six months after that took on my current role.

My job

I head a team of four people that supports First Choice shops, regional sales managers and regional sales directors. We draw up and amend the processes and procedures that shops need to follow, answer queries from them on a daily basis, send them e-mail bulletins and ensure they are supplied with uniforms and stationery. I am responsible for the retail intranet, a key internal communication tool, and there are also ad hoc projects such as the ‘mystery shopper’ surveys I co-ordinate every three months. I work roughly 8.30 am – 7.00 pm and spend about half my time out of the office, visiting shops, other head office locations and suppliers.

Best and worst

I like the unpredictability of not knowing what queries will come through each day. However, it can be hard to keep all the plates spinning!