At the age of 16, Rukia Hussain from Manchester took a job at her local Asda to earn money as she studied for A-Levels. Six years on, the George and GM Trading Manager is the youngest of twelve women chosen to represent the sector by the 2016 Worldpay everywoman in Retail Ambassadors Programme. Here, she reflects on her already remarkable career and the many benefits of winning this prestigious Award…
“Plan ‘a’ was to go into education.”
In the beginning, I didn’t consider retail a long-term prospect. I had a perception that work should be something difficult, and I enjoyed my job on the checkout and customer service desks too much to think about it as a career. My parents wanted me to take up a profession like law and I was thinking I might become a teacher. After finishing my degree, I planned to travel for a while before doing an MA, so I went back to Asda and fell in love with my job again. It was then I realised that I was going to spend a large part of my life at work, so I might as well do something I loved day in, day out. I started pushing myself harder and my manager noticed – telling me I could have a long career in retail.
“My sponsor helped open my eyes to retail’s possibilities.”
My line manager and sponsor started giving me extra jobs that would stretch me. I took on a task for the home shopping department and doing well at that won me the attention of the regional teams. As a result, I was invited to fly to America to represent the Manchester region at Wal-Mart’s annual shareholder meeting. This incredible experience opened my eyes to the huge possibilities of a career in retail, and what's brilliant is that Asda allows you to try so many different functions before you settle on your path. That was it for me – all doubts were replaced with excitement and a determination to succeed. Since then, I’ve had three promotions in two years.
I have a huge amount to thank my sponsor for. She’s now retired after 35 years with Asda and was a hugely inspirational person to me, not least because of the breadth of roles she took on across the business and how she put people – customers and colleagues – at the heart of everything she did.
“I got a call to say i’d been nominated for a retail ambassador award…”
The first I heard about the programme was a call from the everywoman team congratulating me on reaching the shortlist. I had no idea I’d even been nominated! When I hung up, I dialled my mentor and discovered he’d been keeping the nomination to himself for months. At that point, I wasn’t thinking about the event – I already felt like a winner just through being recognised for my work and for having such a great support system around me in my line manager, my mentor and my regional team.
“Winning was the highlight of my career so far.”
I had a wonderful group of people from Asda who, on the way to the event, reassured me it didn’t matter if I didn’t win. I was incredibly nervous, and blown away by how beautiful everything was – the venue, the dinner, and the service from the everywoman team was just so sophisticated.
There were definitely moments when I doubted whether I should win – there’s still so much I want to achieve and here I was surrounded by so many women who already had so much under their belts. They started reading the script about the person who’d won in the Rising Star category and I looked at my mentor and knew they were talking about me. I can’t remember what was said next – everything was a blur and I was just wondering how I’d get to the stage without tripping! Collecting the Award will remain one of the proudest moments of my life.
“A PROFOUND SHIFT IN MY MINDSET SINCE BECOMING A RETAIL AMBASSADOR…”
My mentor always told me off for attributing achievements to “luck”. After winning, I began to see how important it is to honour yourself – something clicked deep inside that winning really was down to me and how much effort I’d put in, and that I was worthy of the accolade.
I’d always been ambitious, but since winning, I’m even more determined to achieve my goals. I challenge myself more – goals I’d set for the longer term have very much been brought forward.
“THE AWARD HAS SUPERCHARGED MY SUPPORT SYSTEM.”
I’ve had calls and letters from so many people across Asda, including the Vice President of the People team, and other senior managers wanting to understand my development needs and interests. When I came back to work after the ceremony, my team – most of whom are young women – had stuck up my picture under the headline ‘Inspirational!’ To see the effect it had on them and how they feel about their work has been one of the best things.
“NETWORKING IS KEY TO GETTING AHEAD IN RETAIL.”
My first role with Asda was in one of the largest, highest profile stores that attracted a lot of executive visits, including from the CEO and the Vice President. Whenever they came in, I’d introduce myself and find out more about them. When I moved to a smaller store for a promotion, I realised I’d have to work harder to find that network, and that’s when I got closer to the regional team. They are key to your development because if they know you, your skills and interests, they can reach out to you when opportunities come along. I often email a regional manager asking if I can come to their office and shadow them for a day. The worst anyone can ever say is “no”, and nobody ever has.
“AS A RETAIL AMBASSADOR I WANT TO HELP PEOPLE CARVE THEIR OWN PATHS.”
There’s a perception that retail is all about filling shelves, working long hours and not really having many opportunities to progress. I’m proof that’s far from the truth. People are always surprised when I tell them about all the community work I can get involved in, and the coaching and mentoring elements of my role, which I really love. I’ve stepped up three people who weren’t necessarily sure of their paths, but with a little help, were able to find their niche. Being an Ambassador is a great conversation starter and has enabled me to reach out to a much wider network of people interested in retail.
Do you know someone that is contributing to reinventing the future of retail as well as inspiring success in others? Nominations are now open for the 2017 Worldpay everywoman in Retail Ambassdor Programme.
