CASSIE RYDING
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Perspective
Cassie Ryding is a Manager with Alvarez & Marsal’s Consumer and Retail Group in New York.
A Day in the Life
Here’s An Account – In Cassie’s Words – Of A Typical Day Working As An A&M Director.
6:30 am
My favorite way to start the day is with a Peloton workout. Today I’ve picked a HIIT & Hills ride with my favorite instructor, Olivia Amato.
8:00 am
After I shower and get ready, I check my calendar to remind myself what my schedule looks like for the day and see if I received any emails after signing off the night before. Over a latte, I catch up on the morning’s headlines by putting on the news and skimming some of my favorite daily newsletters.
8:30 am
“When I settle in at my desk for the day, I go over my to do list and game plan how I can tackle my to dos in between my client meetings.
This morning I have a quick touch base with my buddy to check-in on how her project is going and how the first few months have been. The CRG Buddy Program pairs new hires with experienced Associates and Managers to serve as a resource and “safe space” for asking group and project related questions.
9:00 am
With many CRG projects, we are very closely integrated with our client’s team. As part of my current engagement, I support the client’s eCommerce team. Twice a week we have a cross functional team meeting to align on weekly goals, debrief from out last project steering committee meeting, and discuss what updates we will bring to our next meeting. In these meetings, I typically drive creating the deck and coordinating the updates from the team.
10:00 am
I quickly shift gears from eComm to supporting the Retail team. We are currently working on evaluating all the tasks performed by their in-store sales associates such as shipment processing, replenishment, and check-out to see where there are inefficiencies and how we can update the standard operating procedures to be best in class.
12:00 pm
“I support our client’s effort to evaluate deals that our wholesale team brings in from some of our off price partners.
Time to touch base with the liquidation team. Today I will share a status update on a recently submitted offer, and our team will decide if we want to move forward with it.
2:00 pm
Another eComm meeting. We are meeting with a potential vendor that can provide an exciting new feature to the website that will really enhance the online shopping experience! As part of our client’s eComm team, I often sit in on demos like this, but I also get the opportunity to continue through the entire journey from vendor selection to price negotiation to implementation.
4:00 pm
One of the great parts about being part of a relatively new group is that we have the opportunity to shape the culture and standards for the CRG team. I am part of the CRG People Development Committee that handles performance management and development . Today we’re meeting to discuss feedback on our new mid-year review process that we developed and recently rolled out.
5:00 pm
I’m done with my scheduled meetings for the day. Time to put my head down for a bit and get through the rest of my to do list for the day.
8:00 pm
About time to wrap up for the night. While working from home, I love that I have the opportunity to work on my cooking. Tonight I’m making homemade pappardelle and topping it with a Carbone inspired spicy vodka sauce!
10:00 pm
After dinner, I will often check back in and prepare what I need for any morning meetings while watching one of the (many) shows I have recorded or whatever I am currently binging. Then off to bed to do it all again tomorrow!
What Cassie was working on:
More About Retail
Cassie’s client is a founder-led, menswear-focused clothing and accessories brand. As part of a multi-year transformation, the company brought on A&M to find efficiencies in the cost structure and opportunities for new growth through customer acquisition and product adjustments.