On International Women’s Day every year, the voices and stories of women across the world are celebrated, as we address the issues that cause gender inequality and diversity. But despite these issues remaining, such voices and stories take a backseat once the day is done.
We think it’s worth doing the opposite and actively challenging the issues that create these gaps in our industry. So, we’ve launched this weekly series, Wednesday Women, where we’ll profile the stories of the inspiring women in this great and wide industry.
Today we speak with Colette Power, Australian Vintage Business Manager, about her career in drinks, which began when her family purchased a Supa IGA. Reflecting on this time, Power says it was incredibly challenging running a business, but the experience taught her invaluable lessons which have shaped her into the person she is today.
While you might have expected Power to pursue a career in retail, her role at Supa IGA relied heavily on bookwork, and equipping herself to handle this, she undertook the necessary bookkeeping training and an accounting degree. Although these skills aided her role in the store, it wasn’t long before she took up a sales role with a leading beverage manufacturer.
“When we ended up needing to close the doors of our store, I had this degree up my sleeve which made it easy for me to get my first corporate job at Frucor Suntory [now Suntory Oceania] in their finance team,” Power explains.
“I thought this was going to be the start of a career in finance, but the lure of sales was too strong and I quickly made the change and haven’t looked back since. I had an amazing seven-year career with Frucor selling energy drinks but the dream was always to be in liquor and at the beginning of 2022 Australian Vintage made that a reality for me.”
Joining Australian Vintage as National Account Manager, Power looked after independent customers within the Australian sales team. She was with the organisation almost two years before making a career-defining move across the world, joining the UK team as Business Manager.
“Last year there were some movements within the sales teams which meant an opening had become available in the UK,” she says.
“I put my hand up to be considered as working in another country had always been something I had wanted, but I honestly thought I had missed the boat by not doing it at a younger age. Australian Vintage has helped me navigate the change from the start and it’s been easy as the culture in the UK team is just as positive as the Australia team, so I feel like I’ve been able to fit in seamlessly. It feels like home.”
In her current role, Power handles the businesses relationships with ASDA and Waitrose, two of the UK’s leading retailers. Along with a new-found love for London, she has found a whole new appreciation for the differences between the two markets.
“Having lived in Australia my whole life I had thought of it as such a big place, but we’re just little guys punching above our weight in the scheme of things. The consumer trends are similar but one noticeable difference, that I love, is the way retail go after the seasons here. Who doesn’t love a £15 Valentines dinner deal inclusive of wine.”
Of course, as Power finds her feet in London, where she has now lived since January, she is also learning to navigate those differences.
“Scrutinising a forecast of wine coming to the UK from Australia has been an evolution to my role. I should have realised it takes a long time to ship things from the other side of the world,” she says.
“Selling my car in Australia to get the tube/train/bus in the UK has been the biggest change to my day-to-day. I’ve enjoyed not sitting in traffic, but I’m ready for them to install air conditioning on the tube.”
While there have been changes big and small, the move to London has proven to be Power’s biggest accomplishment of her career so far, but it doesn’t stop her from appreciating the smaller moments.
“Moving to London is definitely the most exciting, but the accomplishments I am most proud of and that are most special to me are the quieter ones. I love hearing from someone I’ve worked with that I’ve made their job easier and more enjoyable from the impact I’ve had on them. Lame, I know, but I love some warm fuzzies.”
Power takes great joy from supporting those around her, and one element of that is empowering her network to take the leap and follow their dreams.
“Don’t be scared, take a chance on something new. I went into this thinking what is the worst thing that could possibly happen? I don’t like it, and I go home. I have gained so many new experiences, friends, learnings in just six months that it makes me so excited and ready for whatever else is coming in the next six – 24 months,” she says.
Looking to the future, Power shares what it is that keeps her motivated in her career.
“Obviously, [I hope to be] CEO of Australian Vintage someday, but until then I want to nail this role and continue to build on and add to my current skill set. As long as I’m always learning I’m a happy employee and Australian Vintage has been ensuring that is always the case.”