My pay last year was £3.7 million. My last holiday was in the Maldives and antique hunting in France. For relaxation I go to my beach house. I started in retail with a Saturday job in an arts and crafts shop whilst still at school. I have worked my way up from the basement answering queries about wine orders at Harrods to my present post as the highest paid managing Director a Selfridges. ( observer 11/12/2022) How did you feel reading this extract from an interview with the managing director? Was your reaction, good to see a women making it to a top job in retail or did you think how does anyone justify that salary for managing a group of shops? Were you inspired by the achievement of working their way up from the shop floor or did feel that starting out in the wine store at Harrods was hardly starting at the bottom. Were you surprised there was no mention of education or university. It is usually part of the standard format for this series of profile interviews.
Were you surprised that they were so willing to disclose their salary or did it just confirm to you that people in these positions believe they are worth it? This is someone who referred to the challenge presented by the the cost of living crisis in terms of impact on sales not employees standard of living, salary structure or profit sharing.
Perhaps it’s no surprise she is optimistic about the future, her future!
Blair Mcpherson former local authority Director author and blogger www.blairmcpherson.co.uk
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