WHO RUNS THE (LB) WORLD?

In honour of International Women’s Day, we’re celebrating the ladies that make LB, LB.

March 8th marks International Women’s Daya day to celebrate the achievements of all the fearless females out there, reflect on the progress made so far and the work yet to be done.

Here at Little Burgundy, we’re proud of our culture and how we support the women who work for Little Burgundy. We want to celebrate women in leadership, from Directors to Store Managers, making a difference in the Little Burgundy world.

Scroll to get to know the ladies behind Little Burgundy.

LAURA, MARKETING COORDINATOR

What has been your LB journey?

I started working at LB in 2010 as a part-time sales associate. After graduating, I was promoted to different in-store management positions and finally ended up at the head office in 2018. Today, I’m the Marketing Coordinator, which consists of taking care of all in-store activations, such as the windows, the employee contests, the partnerships, etc. I’m kind of the “middle woman” who makes sure that everything we produce meets the brands’ image, the budgets and our production deadlines.

What’s your favourite part of your job?

What I love most about my job is that I do a little bit of everything, and I can make use of my organization skills and creative side in my day-to-day. If I had to pick my favourite moment, it would be when I sit down with the design team to look at the window concept proposals. I like to work as a team to think about the best way to bring their ideas to life on a large scale. It’s gratifying to have the chance to participate in the design process and see the results a few weeks later in our stores.

What do you value most about the contribution of women to the Little Burgundy culture?

When I started working at LB, I was barely an adult, a time when it’s important to surround yourself with people who will leave a positive mark on the person you’ll become, both personally and professionally. Over the years at Little Burgundy, I’ve been fortunate enough to meet many strong, talented and extremely determined women. I can say without a shadow of a doubt that each of them has been an inspiration.

Still to this day, I’m very grateful to be working in an office with inspiring and go-getter women who stand out in their careers and in their personal lives. They are a great support system and above all they motivate me to surpass myself in everything I do.

SUMEET, DISTRICT MANAGER IN TRAINING

What has been your LB journey?

I have been with Little Burgundy just over 7 and a half years. I started as a Co-Manager and was promoted within 6 months to Store Manager.

My success mostly began after this point. I have won multiple company awards throughout my years. I have won back to school contests, which won me a trip to the Grammys in 2017. I have won Manager of the Year for the west of Canada. I have many more awards but these are just a few that meant the most to me. I am now District Manager in Training at the Metrotown location in Vancouver British Columbia. I am looking forward to what else this journey with Little Burgundy has to offer.

What’s your favourite part of your job?

My favourite part of the job is probably the day-to-day interactions I have with customers and my fellow team members. I have always enjoyed taking care of our customers and giving them the best experience possible, which I now pass down to my team. I have always had a passion for detail in everything I do, so making sure our store looks the best as well as focusing on the service is the best feeling ever. Compliments from customers always prove hard work does pay off.

What do you value most about the contribution of women to the Little Burgundy culture?

I value that a FOCUS is given to women in our company. We have a voice and it is always heard here. It’s refreshing to see the women we do have in the home office and out in the field are passionate about what they do and know what they do every day matters. Everyone in our company truly cares for each individual regardless of their gender. I am grateful I do have great female mentors in our company to look up to, regardless of how much we may speak or see each other. From the women in the LB home office, to the women who are out in the field. I have looked up to these people somewhere along my journey with Little Burgundy. I wish nothing but the best to all the women in our company and future women who join us. Power to women!

AUDREY, VP OF MARKETING AND ECOMMERCE

What has been your LB journey?

I started working at LB almost 8 years ago. I first joined the team in an ecommerce role and rapidly grew into a more omnichannel role as Vice-President of Marketing and Ecommerce. My role consists primarily of leading strategic goals to continue our company’s growth while delighting our customers on a daily basis. I manage a fantastic team of marketers, ecommerce specialists and creative design team.

What’s your favourite part of your job?

There are so many things I love about my job! First, seeing my team grow and becoming more and more independent as they gain confidence in the work they do, is quite rewarding. I love working with the best in class footwear brands and finding creative ways to push their products through our unique initiatives that come to life in-store and online. Finally, collaborating with creative minds to come up with seasonal campaigns that define Little Burgundy’s unique vision always puts a smile on my face. I’m our biggest fan, season after season!

What do you value most about the contribution of women to the Little Burgundy culture?

It’s inspiring! Being surrounded with such creative, passionate and smart women is refreshing! From store managers, to our Director of Merchandise Allocation and our Director of Buying and Products Development, all these women working their butts off for LB work diligently, efficiently and have amazing communication skills!

YASMEEN, BUYER & PRODUCT DEVELOPER

What has been your LB journey?

I am currently the Accessories Buyer and I am also the Buyer & Product Developer for our house brand line of footwear and accessories called Floyd. I have been with the company for almost ten years now. I started out as a Purchase Order Administrator and worked my way up to being a Buyer.

What’s your favourite part of your job?

My favourite part of the job is working with all of the products. I love working on new collections, seeing things that go from a trend report to a mood board to arriving in stores and seeing our customers’ reactions. We always start working on our seasons months in advance and so there is something so exciting about seeing the products finally in stores!

What do you value most about the contribution of women to the Little Burgundy culture?

I find working in an office that is predominantly female extremely inspiring. Here at Little Burgundy, we are in a unique position of having a large number of women in leadership at all levels, and that has rarely been the case for me at other companies. This gives me hope that I too could be in a similar position in the future because I would be evaluated on my accomplishments and not hindered by my gender.