Martin Newton, Area Manager

"I joined Burton when I left school in Mansfield in 1989 aged 16. After a few weeks I really started to enjoy the customer interaction as, at the time, I was extremely shy and it brought me out of my shell.

I've moved around a lot. After my two-year youth training scheme finished I went full time and after three years applied for my first deputy position, in Rotherham. Since then I've also held store management roles in Sheffield, Nottingham, Newark, Derby and Leicester before being promoted to Area Manager in 2005.

I'm currently Area Manager for the Birmingham/Leicester area. I'm one of 16 AMs in the Burton brand and I'm responsible for 27 stores, overseeing everything from sales, store cards, costs and stock issues through to store layouts, new launches and managing my people.

I enjoy working for Arcadia because there's always a new challenge around every corner. Moving from store to store and area to area has brought me into contact with many interesting places, people and situations. It will be 20 years in October since I first started working for the company and it's still as fresh today as it was back then. I am extremely proud to work for what is a cornerstone of the British high street."

To find out more about Area Management, click here

Bindu Pattni, Loss Prevention Manager

"I joined Arcadia nearly 20 years ago as a Store Manager for Dorothy Perkins and still feel as passionate today as I did then. In my first five years I established myself within the store and the area and started taking on additional responsibilities. I became Induction Training Manager, helped support new store openings, and provided training and support to raise awareness of systems and procedures.

This led to my first secondment within the loss prevention team in 2005, which helped me to establish that it was the right long-term career for me. I rejoined the team in January 2008 on a secondment as a Regional Loss Prevention Manager for Miss Selfridge and now have a permanent role as Loss Prevention Manager for supplier management. My role involves providing support to the field team and our suppliers for tagging, CCTV, alarms and guards. I also manage the budgets for the department for the assets for these suppliers. In addition, I produce monthly reports for the Head of Department and Group Directors. As part of the role, I also get involved in data mining within the brands. This involves analysis of transactions over a given period.

Being part of Arcadia has given me the opportunity to pursue my career within a single employer, as there are so many paths available within the different brands."

To find out more about Audit/ Loss Prevention, click here

Sahar Kasiri, Buyer

"I always knew I wanted to be in a job that involved fashion and travelling. I studied for a Business and Computing degree whilst studying short courses at London College of Fashion.

My first job was with another high street retailer working on menswear, next I moved to a long-established British menswear brand and then finally I joined Arcadia as Senior Assistant Buyer at Burton. I've been at Arcadia for six years. I took the decision to move from menswear to womenswear three years ago, taking a role at Evans. I'm currently moving to my third Arcadia brand - Wallis - as an experienced buyer.

I think Arcadia has contributed greatly to my experience and expertise, the fast pace and challenges here are what keep me going. I think as a buyer you need to be good at communication and building relationships, you need to have confidence and strong problem-solving skills. I thrive on the challenges that arise every day, there's certainly never a dull moment."

To find out more about Buying, click here

Manuel Tsirmiris, Creative Studio Manager

"I finished a degree in graphic design in 1996 in my hometown of Melbourne. My first taste of retail was in the head office of Myer Grace Bros, one of Australia's largest department stores chains.

I then went travelling and landed in London, where I decided to live and work for a year. That was in the year 2000! Since then, I have worked in a number of design and advertising agencies in London as well as in a bank. I started work at Burton in September 2006.

My current role is to oversee the production of all graphics for the Burton brand. This includes in-store point of sale material, window schemes, advertising, marketing collateral and any other internal communications. I manage a team of six - two designers, two artworkers, a photo shoot co-ordinator and a print production co-ordinator.

The first thing that struck me about working for Burton was the relaxed and friendly working environment. Everyone seemed to genuinely get along and everyone seemed to want the same end result - a successful high street brand. All this combined with a central London location makes my current role hard to match."

To find out more about Creative and Visual Merchandising, click here

Gemma Walters, Customer Services Advisor

"I've worked for Arcadia for over eight years now, all of them in Customer Services. As one of the most experienced Customer Service Advisors in the team, my day can involve talking to customers on the telephone, replying to customer emails and letters or helping other team members.

A lot of my day is spent investigating issues using the various systems we have available or talking to other departments and stores to get things resolved for customers. I never really know what the next enquiry is going to be about. It could be a simple issue such as looking for stock for a customer or a complex problem - that's what makes the job really interesting.

After returning to work following my third child, I went part-time and have recently completed my Advanced Level Competencies. As a trained coach some of my time is spent helping less experienced colleagues improve their telephone skills. When required I act as a covering Team Leader, taking escalated telephone calls and supervising the team.

Having a positive outlook and the patience to deal with customers as individuals is key to this role. Being proactive, able to multi-task and work as part of a team is also essential. Reliability is really important in a department like ours."

To find out more about Customer Services, click here

Gayle Jared, Senior Designer

"In my ten-year career I have worked for various high street retailers, covering all areas from formal to casualwear. I really enjoy my job, and have a real love for fashion. I joined the design team two years ago as a senior designer covering all of formalwear. My role is to create and drive fashion while maintaining a strong commercial handwriting.

Life is always hectic and fast paced but very rewarding. A major part of my job involves lots of travel for inspiration, from Paris, Milan, Tokyo, New York and India, I love picking up things on my way to add to my vast wardrobe. Probably the most rewarding part of my job is seeing the product from the original sketch to selling on the shop floor.

Evans is a great brand; it gives you the support and opportunities to develop yourself, and is a great environment in which to work."

To find out more about Design, click here

Kirsty Hudson, Distribution Analyst

"My responsibilities include allocating stock to stores, analysing which stores would best sell particular lines, answering queries from stores and undertaking analysis for the departments for which I am responsible. I'm also the head office contact for a number of stores, I keep in weekly contact with them to address any issues they may have to ensure they can trade to the best of their potential.

Since starting this role I've developed a much greater understanding of retail as a whole, before starting here I'd never realised the hard work that goes into getting the clothes on to the shopfloor. I have also discovered how well I can cope when working under pressure, we often have quite tight deadlines and so I have become more organised.

In addition, I have become more willing to ask for help when I need it, before I would try and tackle everything by myself but working in distribution you quickly learn that you need to share out your workload in order to get things done in busy periods. The great thing about the distribution team is that everyone helps everyone else out so even in times of high pressure we still manage to have fun."

To find out more about Distribution, click here

Dermot McDermott, Head of Analysis, Group eCommerce Team

"I joined Arcadia in March 2008. Prior to that I'd worked for a music and games retailer where I held various roles within the eCommerce team. My role at Arcadia concentrates on the analysis of - and research into - our online businesses.

We use state of the art web analytics software that allows us to monitor and report on every single interaction our customers have with our websites. Ultimately the aim is to have a thorough understanding of what our website visitors are doing (or trying to do) in order to continually improve their experience. Day-to-day I work closely with the individual brands' eCommerce teams as well as other departments like Marketing, IT, Logistics etc.

I'm also responsible for the research into what our online customers think about our business. We constantly seek their opinions and take that insight back to the business with a view to making the improvements that our customers demand. Finally I work very closely with our service providers in areas such as contract negotiations, training and user support.

Arcadia is a fast moving and exciting business to work for. Expectations are high and you work hard but you're given the time, space and support to develop your skills and the rewards are great."

To find out more about E Commerce, click here

Nina Chauhan, Group Marketing Co-Ordinator

"My role involves working closely with the events teams across all Arcadia's brands. I support the events officers and oversee the events themselves. I conduct a large amount of research, from venue scouting to finding suitable suppliers for events.

One of my main responsibilities is managing the press showroom - a space where we showcase our latest ranges to the media - and supporting all the events hosted there, such as brand days, press events, corporate functions and charity events. I also coordinate in-store events, such as store openings and cardholder events.

After graduating in 2007, I completed several internships in the events sector from festivals to fashion. An internship working in events at a London department store helped me decide I wanted to pursue a career in fashion retail and so I eventually started with Arcadia in August 2008.

Success in events involves working to deadlines and briefs, teamwork, multi-tasking, being organised and long hours. Working in the events team at Arcadia offers a lot of opportunity as my role allows exposure to all brands, providing insight into how each brand works. It's a challenging, satisfying and exciting role and it's rewarding to be a part of one of the UK's top fashion retailers."

To find out more about Events, click here

Tony Warren, Senior Facilities Manager

"I manage all the hard and soft facilities management functions (maintenance, project management, security, cleaning, mail and reprographics, branch distributions etc) on the Leeds head office site. Key responsibilities are to provide a cost effective and end user focused service that is able to adapt quickly to meet the ever-changing needs of the business.

To do my job it's essential to have commercial contract management experience with a thorough understanding of legislation in such areas as Health and Safety and the built environment. It is perhaps more important to be a person who solves other peoples problems and gets things done.

You need to be approachable, a good communicator, have bags of enthusiasm, drive, commitment, and the ability to develop practical solutions to resolve a wide range of challenges. We could be looking at integrating a generator one day followed by how to get a over 1,000 chandeliers into stores the next.

Before joining the company I'd worked for over 20 years in the construction industry. My role involved the management of a wide variety of commercial and industrial projects from conception to completion, and the experience gained has proven to be a wonderful grounding for a my career here at Arcadia."

To find out more about Facilities, click here

Sarah Brundle, Finance Manager

"I joined Arcadia as a finance placement student in 2002 as part of my economics degree. After a successful placement and finishing my degree, I joined the Finance Graduate Programme in 2004. In the five years since then I have worked in a number of roles. I spent four years with Burton, working in buying and merchandising and retail finance.

I currently work in Group Finance as the Cashflow & Reporting Finance Manager. This role includes forecasting the group's cashflow by year, month, week, and even by day, as well as developing and maintaining key group trading reports and responding to various ad-hoc requests from senior management. The role also includes the management and development of three analysts. Since starting at Arcadia I have studied for and gained my CIMA accountancy qualification, for which I received full support.

What I enjoy most about my job is the value you can add and the commercial experience you get. The finance function sits centrally within the organisation, which means you get involved in decisions across all areas of the business. I've interacted with people from all areas of the business from merchandisers to store managers, which has given me an excellent insight into the world of retail. The culture and ethos of the company is fast paced, young and dynamic, which creates an environment in which I love to work."

To find out more about Finance, click here

Diane Potter, Senior HR Officer

"I work in our Shared Services HR team as a Senior HR Officer, providing a generalist service to various key departments within the business including: PR, Finance, Property, Logistics and IT. My role enables me to get involved in a wide range of activities such as recruitment, training, employee relation issues and reward management.

To do my job effectively you need to be confident, a strong communicator and exceptionally organised. You also need to be able to work in a fast-paced environment with the ability to prioritise your workload effectively and have the ability to influence at all levels. It is essential that you have a good grounding in employment law and are able to advise on best practice training, reward and recruitment policies and practices. You also need to be good at building relationships with people and have an eye for detail.

I graduated from The University of Nottingham with a degree in Psychology and my first role after graduating was with Arcadia as a HR Assistant in May 2005. Arcadia has provided me with clear development opportunities - I have progressed within the Shared Services HR team from HR Assistant to HR Officer to Senior HR Officer. The environment, people and culture at Arcadia are unique, making it a very enjoyable place to work."

To find out more about Human Resources, click here

Olivia Harris, International Operations Manager

"I came to work for Arcadia in April 2008 as International Operations manager. My responsibilities include managing a team of nine that provides visual and operational support to our 21 franchise partners worldwide.

We offer this support for Topshop, Topman, Miss Selfridge, Dorothy Perkins, Wallis and Evans international stores. It's a fast paced and rapidly growing division of the business. That means lots of change, which I really enjoy. My role is very interesting because you learn about our different brands and how retail works around the world.

My working life started when I worked part time in restaurants. I decided I needed some qualifications so I enrolled in an HND in Business Studies & Finance. I specialised in purchasing. After three years in purchasing I switched to retail sales and over the next 15 years I worked in many different roles gaining varied retail management experience. Jobs included selling commercial office furniture, managing floor and wall tile stores, running a gift and balloon business and working for a watch brand in the US and all over central Europe."

To find out more about International, click here

Matt Dalton, Business Systems Analyst

"My role as is very much dependent upon the stage reached by my current projects. I could be holding workshops with the business to drive out system requirements, creating documentation and specifications, or testing new systems and managing the implementation.

Business systems analysts have the opportunity to see a project from conception through to analysis; including design, testing, implementation, and support. It's very satisfying to see a system you were involved with going live and delivering benefits.

In my role I need to actively listen and interpret. I operate as a translator between what the business requires from a system and how we, as a department, produce and deliver that requirement. So it's important that everybody involved shares a common understanding of what we are trying to achieve.

I joined Arcadia as a Junior Business Systems Analyst and have now progressed to a Business Systems Analyst. My career path is very well defined; my next goals are to become a Senior Business Systems Analyst and then a Project Manager. The department provides the support you need to guide you through your progression and the culture here is excellent. Everyone I work with is really helpful and supportive and you feel like you are genuinely part of a team."

To find out more about IT, click here

Martin C Jones, Head of Logistics

"With a degree in geography and religious studies I should have become a missionary! Instead, I joined a London firm of chartered accountants. I did some travelling and then joined a confectionery company's accounting team, moving on to become production manager and ultimately logistics manager.

This mix of supply chain and accountancy experience prepared me to become Finance Manager for Logistics in Arcadia. I held a couple of other finance roles here before I took up my current role as Head of Global Logistics in 2007.

My role involves managing our exports and intake (arrival of product from suppliers) and international forwarding contracts, working closely with Customs on duty initiatives and legislative changes. I'm always looking for cost-saving possibilities while improving service. Fundamentally, it's about relationships and changing what we do for the better - building networks with freight forwarders, HM Revenue & Customs, our own warehouses, suppliers and within Arcadia.

Arcadia suits self-motivated individuals. It's ideal if you share a passion for fashion but that extends to being excited about all aspects of the business. Arcadia is large enough to follow a full career path - I have transferred from Finance to Logistics but in the time here I have built close relationships with many departments across the company."

To find out more about Logistics, click here

Jennie Speirs, Marketing Co-ordinator

"Having completed a four-year degree in Hispanic Studies at Birmingham University, I joined Arcadia in 2004 on its graduate scheme for retail management. During that year I worked for Burton, learning key skills in project and people management as well as the fundamentals of retail.

The highlight was the Sir Philip Green scholarship programme, when the graduate trainees battle it out to become one of his four apprentices. We ran a market stall for a weekend and a store for one week, and had an interview with Sir Philip himself. I completed placements in head office, spending time with Burton's retail operations team, merchandisers, buyers and marketing team. During my placement with marketing I realised this was the career I wanted and applied for the job of Dorothy Perkins Marketing Assistant.

Since then I have progressed to the role of Marketing Co-ordinator. I work across a wide range of projects from events and promotions to media and advertising. Another big part of my role is working with our two charities, Breast Cancer Care and the Woodland Trust.

Working for Arcadia opens up so many opportunities - I started in a retail role and am now working in the marketing team. You are always encouraged to be innovative and creative in your role and the brands are always open to new ideas."

To find out more about marketing, click here

Joanna Hill, Merchandiser

"I've been with Topman for seven years, having joined as a graduate from Cardiff University. I've worked my way up to Merchandiser and have moved around the brand's different departments, including casual trousers, leisurewear and shirts. Currently I'm Merchandiser for jeans and shorts.

It's my responsibility to make sure the right stock is in the right place at the right time. Together with the buyer, we plan a range for stores to make the maximum profit. We look at history for the department and trends for the coming season, which enable us to plan where to spend the money across the different areas of our department. We constantly review sales forecasts to make the most of any emerging trends.

Monday is our busiest time, reacting to the trade (sales performance) of the previous week. Each department will present to the directors the big successes from the previous week and any decisions will be made whether to back (repeat) certain lines or try to reduce stock in certain areas.

I also enjoy planning the next season and reacting to the latest trends. It's a fast-paced environment and exciting to be involved in the fashion industry. There's always something new so in our business it's essential to be flexible and ready to react."

To find out more about Merchandising, click here

Simon Anderson, Purchasing Manager

"I purchase goods and services for Arcadia in goods not for resale (GNFR) areas such as cash collection services, security, utilities, travel, IT, car fleet, carrier bags, pens and pencils etc.

It involves identifying areas for review, ensuring key decision makers/stakeholders are engaged and supportive, establishing and managing project teams, market research and analysis, coordinating the bid process, managing the supplier selection process, negotiating the commercial terms of the contract to ensure best value service and performance from the suppliers, writing the contract, and supplier/contract management thereafter where required.

I'm expected to think flexibly. The way we are doing something now doesn't mean it's right for the future. I've got to challenge the status quo, which requires the ability to analyse the issues, determine next steps and make sound recommendations and decisions. My role is to ensure that Arcadia gets the best value and total costs of ownership are minimised, while maintaining and improving service levels.

I began my career at a major supermarket as a Buying Assistant. I then moved to Burton Group (Arcadia's previous incarnation) as Assistant Buyer and was promoted to Buyer. Next I joined the group's logistics partner as Senior Buyer and was promoted to Purchasing Manager responsible for managing the purchasing team of seven people. I moved to Arcadia as Purchasing Manager in 2003."

To find out more about Purchasing, click here

Antonia Gladwin, Acquisitions & Disposals Manager

"My role includes site visits to view towns, developments and retail parks as possible locations for our stores, receiving details on potential new sites, negotiating on rents, liaising with the store planning team on new acquisitions, discussing opportunities with the appropriate brands, preparing board papers for sign off, negotiating legal documents and liaising with store development on specification and build issues.

This job requires good organisational skills, attention to detail, strong negotiating skills and an in-depth knowledge of the property market and the law regarding landlords and tenants.

I started my career as a retail agency surveyor in small practice based in London. While there I went back part time to university and completed a post-graduate diploma in Estates Management. I then took my Assessment of Professional Competence (APC) and qualified as a Charted Surveyor. In 2005 I became Acquisitions Manager at a casualwear retailer before being recruited to Arcadia in September 2006.

Arcadia is a fantastic place to work due to the size of the property portfolio and the number of brands. Acquisition deals can vary from a 3,000 sq ft Wallis to a 40,000 sq ft Topshop. It's great to work somewhere that is very well known in the market place and with such strong and well-recognised retail brands."

To find out more about Property, click here

Rachel Hume, Store Operations Manager

"I joined Wallis in December 2004 as an Area Manager, having gained ten years' experience with another high street retailer. After 15 months in the role, I was promoted to Visual Merchandising Manager, a new position. It was a great opportunity, building a new team and adapting my existing knowledge.

After 18 months the department was established and operating effectively, freeing up time for me to take on an additional department, Retail Operations. My current role as Store Operations Manager is somewhat unusual as it integrates both areas, but both are key to our stores' success and it works well as there are many synergies.

My team is responsible for all store processes, procedures and communications including visual layout, operations front and back of house, store graphics and all other retail initiatives. I have a field-based team and a head office based team.

Working for Arcadia offers huge opportunities - my dual role evolved because it's an organisation that is fluid in its approach, allowing the strengths and skills of its employees to be used to their best effect. The size of Arcadia allows more opportunities than working in a single brand business, with the ability to cross over into other brands. It's a great company to have on your CV as a respected heavyweight of the retail world."

To find out more about Retail Operations, click here

Victoria Williams, Retail Graduate Trainee

"During my third year at university I saw Arcadia's graduate retail management programme advertised in the Sunday Times Top 100 Employers. I was accepted on to the programme by Outfit, which involved relocating to its flagship store in Nottingham.

The course was really well structured. I spent three weeks' on induction training in a different location to my host store. Once in Nottingham I was surrounded by a fantastic management team who helped me pick up the day-to-day aspects of running a store. I was also assigned a mentor who guided me through the activities set by the course and supported my development.

Head office also provided lots of support. Every two months I travelled to London to take part in workshops. I learned key management behaviors, and after each one I would return to store feeling refreshed and motivated with new ideas.

From day one of the programme I was treated like a manager. It was initially quite challenging, dealing with the immediate responsibility, but the team supported me. While the programme is intense it equips you with the diverse skills needed to run a store. In June last year I achieved a permanent position as sales manager in Outfit, Croydon. Despite completing the course, I'm still being developed and there will be plenty of training for my next role as a Sales and Operations manager."

To find out more about Retail Graduate programme, click here

Kim White, HR Graduate

"I joined Arcadia on the Graduate HR programme in September 2007. My initial placement was with Burton's head office team, which gave me my first insight into this fast-paced and exciting retail environment.

Next I moved to Topshop/Topman as part of the Retail Resourcing team, recruiting Store, Deputy and Visual Managers nationwide along with full teams for new store openings. This involved frequent travel around the country and liaising with the retail and regional teams.

I have now been with the Shared Services Group HR team for over six months, providing generalist HR support to a variety of departments such as Finance, IT, Logistics, PR and Property. I enjoy the variety of the role, getting involved in tasks such as reward, employee relations, recruitment and training. One of the most rewarding aspects of my role is building relationships with new people at different levels within the business. I enjoy working in such a dynamic environment with each day presenting new projects and fresh challenges.

The HR graduate programme has given me the unique opportunity to experience two very different brands as well as the Shared Services function and enabled me to interact with a variety of people across the business, both in retail and head office. Arcadia has a great working atmosphere and I know there are lots of opportunities ahead."

To find out more about HR Graduate Programme, click here

Becky Scott, Finance Manager

"I joined Arcadia three years ago on the Finance Graduate Scheme and in that time I have completed three different finance roles.

I started in Dorothy Perkins working as a Retail Analyst, reporting on the performance of UK stores, analysing costs and payroll and forecasting sales. I then moved to a Buying and Merchandising Finance role within the same brand, which was more product-related and focused on the financial implications of stock levels, department sales and product margins. Finally I moved to International and have since been promoted to International Finance Manager.

In my current role I prepare reports for Regional Controllers to illustrate the performance of stores and help formulate strategy to increase store profitability in the different markets in which we operate. My job also involves a lot of short and long-term planning and forecasting, where we predict peaks and troughs in trade for the coming weeks and months.

What I enjoy most about working for Arcadia is the dynamic and fast-paced environment; I deal with a huge range of people on an international level. I also love the fact that my job combines two subjects that I am very passionate about - fashion and finance! In my work I have the chance to influence and suggest ideas to key decision makers and it is very satisfying to see them implemented."

To find out more about our Finance Graduate Programme, click here

Verity Needham, Buyers Administration Assistant

"I started with Miss Selfridge just over two years ago. I came straight from university where I studied Fashion Marketing. When I first joined I was on casual jersey, which is one of Miss Selfridge's biggest departments. It's very fast-paced but a great way to learn and prepares you for anything.

I currently work on casual separates and swimwear as a Buyer's Administration Assistant. My main roles are managing the critical paths to develop our product lines, communicating daily with suppliers, attending fit sessions and providing admin support for my buyer and assistant buyer. Although a large proportion of a BAA's duties is admin you are still very hands-on with all the product and have a great deal of involvement from design stage to when it arrives in store.

Arcadia is a young, exciting company to work for with a huge presence on the high street. It's hard work and challenging at times but I continue to learn every day. While working here I've made a great deal of friends across the brands, which is due to the sociable and friendly nature of the Arcadia team."

To find out more about our graduate role into buying, click here

Lucy Ruiz, Merchandise Administration Assistant

"After a four-year degree in modern languages, I had already decided that the retail sector was right for me. I was accepted for a number of graduate schemes but chose Arcadia and, more specifically, Topshop.

My year as a retail management graduate saw me spend 12 months in two different flagship stores with the aim of becoming a retail store manager. However, I was lucky enough to be chosen for the Sir Philip Green Scholarship Programme. The programme included four three-month head office placements in areas of my choice, not to mention a move to London. It's one of the best graduate schemes in the sector.

I chose carefully and matched my strengths, picking three months each in layout planning, branch planning, merchandising and buying. At the end of the programme I was lucky enough to be offered a job in my chosen area of interest and I am now a Merchandiser's Admin Assistant. My role at our London head office is mainly focused on stock distribution and sales analysis. Working in such a fast paced fashion environment is a continuous challenge that is made exciting and gratifying by the team I get to sit with on a daily basis. The people working for Topshop are what make us the best team on the high street and the reward is quite simply our success."

To find out more about our graduate role into merchandising, click here

Emily Cowdrey, Plan/Forecasting Analyst

"I was so excited about joining Arcadia. I've always had a passion for both retail and finance so my placement here was my first choice when applying for the third year of my sandwich degree. I met the previous placement students at my assessment centre and they were so enthusiastic about the roles they were doing that when I got the call to say I was successful I couldn't wait to start.

I've developed so much since joining the Group Finance team and my level of responsibility has grown every week. Retail is an ever-changing environment and in the current economic climate finance has become a key focus. In Group Finance we collate, assess and interpret results across all Arcadia's brands and report to the directors. If you have an appetite to learn you can really make an impact. Whether it's making up board papers, sending out daily sales updates or creating the weekly reporting packs for the directors, every day is different and I feel like an integral part of my team.

Reasons for enjoying working at Arcadia are countless. The social aspect of the role is definitely up there, everyone is always ready to have fun and there are always organised events or nights out to attend. Also the recognition when you do something good means you are continuously motivated and encouraged."

To find out more about our finance business placements, click here

Laura Grieve, HR Business Placement student

"I'm currently taking a year out from my retail management degree at Loughborough University to complete an industrial placement within Human Resources. Although my year in industry was a compulsory part of my degree, the experience has helped me make that all-important career decision.

My role involves supporting Miss Selfridge's HR head office and retail teams, which I've found both stretching and exciting. My day-to-day job can include organising assessment days, interviewing candidates for both store and head office roles, monitoring absence levels and general administration. My team encourages and supports me with anything I want to get involved in. I have often been thrown in at the deep end, but it has only improved my HR knowledge and confidence.

My experience here has been invaluable. I've enjoyed the HR exposure I have had, as well as the training I have been given. I've made some great friends and feel like a real part of the Miss Selfridge team. This year has helped me confirm my decision to pursue HR as a career, and I've been lucky enough to secure a place on Arcadia's graduate scheme after I finish my degree. Being able to go into my final year at University knowing I have a job secured for when I graduate is more than I could have expected from my placement year."

To find out more about our HR business placements, click here