enior buyer for women’s designer fashion at UK department store Harvey Nichols, women’s merchandising manager at The Just Group and head of buying at Glue Store. Inside Retail: How did you get into the retail industry, and what are the different roles you’ve held along the way? Anna Brennan: When I finished university (B. Commerce and Marketing at Sydney Uni), I was desperate for a role within the David Jones buying office, however, I lacked the experience. After a stint of travel and working to gain further business experience, I landed my dream job as a buying admin at David Jones, I was thrilled to be finally in the door. I progressed from buying admin to senior buyer over 10 years at David Jones, which allowed me to land the role of senior designer buyer at Harvey Nichols in London.  Moving from senior buyer to buying manager/category manager can be hard within the industry. However, I felt that I had proved to the team my ability through my years of dedication and experience. After a few years in London, I moved to Melbourne into a category manager role at The Just Group. Following this I moved to head of buying at Glue Store (pre-Accent Group) before moving to The Iconic. After a four-year tenure, I finished up as the general manager of fashion at The Iconic, which led me to my current position as general manager for Stylerunner. IR: How did you get to be the general manager at Stylerunner? AB: The combination of my experience within the fashion and retail landscape and a genuine long-standing passion for the Stylerunner business has led me to where I am today. IR: Has this field of work always been the goal? AB: Yes, my mum had a friend, Kate Ward, when I was young who was a cosmetic buyer at Grace Bros (now Myer), and I could not believe how great her career was. She was forever getting on a plane, turning left [into first class] upon boarding and travelling the world. Kate had the most amazing stories and experiences from these trips and her cosmetic and clothes collection was fabulous.  From the age of six years old, I was completely inspired and driven to make this my career path. IR: What challenges have you faced in your career, and how have you dealt with them? AB: Moving to London to be the senior designer buyer at Harvey Nichols was a personal and professional challenge. I was buying Celine, Givenchy and Alexander McQueen to list a few.  Not only did I have to convince my English peers that an Australian could do the role, but I also had to get my head around the customer in a new country. To do this, I spent time in each of the stores – serving on the floor and unpacking the nuances of each customer segment, both demographic and cultural. It was a huge learning curve for me as the luxury category in the UK is quite different to that in Australia. The career exposure was incredible and I still have an amazing network of friends and peers in the UK. My boss Averyl Oates at Harvey Nichols is now my youngest daughter’s godmother. It is a time I will always cherish and never forget. IR: What are your career highlights so far? AB: Watching the career success of the people I have coached and mentored over time is a highlight for me. Some now have huge roles overseas and others are achieving greatness here in Australia. Watching those I have worked with achieve their dream roles is something I am hugely proud of and consider a career highlight. In every role, I’ve grown professionally and personally. Most importantly, I have reflected at each stage on what was good, and not so good and what I would have done differently if I had my time again. All of which has fed into who I am now as a manager, peer and colleague. IR: What do you love about your job? AB: I love fashion, I love working with people who live and breathe fashion as it becomes contagious with a snowball effect for success and a positive team culture. People, a strong team culture and great products are key to the success of any retailer, all of which I believe we have here at Stylerunner. This is what I love most about my job. IR: What advice would you give someone wanting to get into your line of work? AB: Go for it and offer to do work experience in a merchandise office for the brands you love most to get your foot in the door. It is easy to be successful when you love the product, and where you are the customer. If you are going to work over five days per week, you need to love what you do.