I’ve always had a fear of not moving – of being static. After graduating from college with a degree in research psychology, I didn’t really know what I wanted to do, except that I was interested in doing something with my familiarity and affinity towards retail. Over the years, I had spent time interning at Nike, Pandora Jewelry, and a venture backed DTC furnishing startup, and as well as working as a teacher. From being a sales associate at 13 (I promise it was legal) to visual merchandising, store ops, and brand marketing, I loved every retail experience I had, but wanted to keep moving forward and building upon what I already knew. In the search of experiencing as much as possible within the industry, I eventually found CRG, a company that gave me the platform to explore and grow rapidly alongside a team of passionate and intellectually curious colleagues.
Candidly, studying to be a psychiatrist didn’t prepare me to be a consultant in the most traditional way. But being away from home since 18, I’d like to think I learned to learn, adapt and be versatile – not unlike the entrepreneurial essence of CRG. Stepping into the consulting shoes has been a challenge that I’ve enjoyed every minute of. Along this journey, I’m lucky to be able to lean on my CRG colleagues and friends, a group of operators and consultants with diverse backgrounds but a shared passion for what we do.
In the search of experiencing as much as possible within the industry, I eventually found CRG, a company that gave me the platform to explore and grow rapidly alongside a team of passionate and intellectually curious colleagues.
Since joining CRG a year ago, I’ve been fortunate to have been a part of a variety of projects. From going through an end-to-end RFP process to optimizing country portfolio sourcing strategy, the start to my CRG journey continues to expand my understanding of all things retail. Looking back, the engagements I’ve been on are connected by the common theme that at CRG, everyone has a seat at the table. Through the trust of many incredible mentors, I’ve grown in ways that are more than work itself. Ironically, my fear of boredom and “not moving” was resolved in the fact that I now spend half my time traveling between New York and client site.
Reflecting on my past year with CRG, some key learnings I ground myself with are: