Building a career in International: Aaron So

Your Career Journey

I joined M&S four years ago. Before that, I’d worked across Australia, the UK and Europe in consumer retail, starting my career in management consulting at McKinsey in Australia. I’d always stayed close to retail, but across different roles and markets.

When I joined M&S, I started in Group Strategy, which gave me the chance to work across multiple parts of the business, including Fashion, Home & Beauty, Online and International. I’ve had what I’d describe as a slightly messy career, but that’s given me a broad understanding of how our business works.

It wasn’t long before I had the chance to work on shaping the International strategy, stepping into my current role leading the Franchise team across Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), where I’ve now been for just over a year.

What Makes International Unique

What stands out about International is the range of experiences you have day to day. You can go from a strategic conversation with a partner about a five-year plan to solving an operational issue that’s impacting performance in the moment. It’s a lean function, so you need to be comfortable switching between big-picture thinking and detail.

My role has a direct impact on how we grow the business globally. That includes shaping strategy, working closely with franchise partners, and making sure we’re delivering results across different markets. You can see the impact of the work in how the business evolves and grows over time, even if it takes persistence to get there.

One of the biggest surprises for people is the level of cultural nuance. Even within a single region, working with partners across different markets requires you to adapt how you communicate, influence and approach problems.

Skills & Growth

Working in International has stretched me in a few ways. The first is the ability to move between strategic and operational thinking. You have to be able to zoom out and think in a long-term way but also zoom right into the detail when needed.

It’s also built a lot of resilience. There are always things going right and wrong across different markets at the same time, so you’re constantly balancing competing priorities. For me this is one of the more challenging, but exciting aspects of working here.

As I mentioned earlier, cultural nuance plays an important part here too – a big area of growth for me has been cultural sensitivity. You’re working with different partners, each with their own ways of operating, so you need to adapt your style while still driving the right outcomes.

A Defining Moment

A defining moment for me has been moving from shaping the International strategy to delivering it. It’s one thing to write a strategy, but it’s another to implement it in a real-world context.

Working within a franchise model adds another layer of complexity. Even when you know what needs to be done, it requires patience, resilience and strong relationships to make it happen. That shift from theory to execution has been one of the biggest learning experiences in my career.

Culture & Ways of Working

The international business is going through a period of rapid change. Historically, it may have been seen as more siloed, but now there’s a real push to become a more entrepreneurial, fast-paced area of the business. We have the ability to make M&S truly global.

There’s a lot of energy, and because the team is relatively small, there’s space for people to step up and make an impact. It’s not always easy, and a lot of the work is operational, but that’s what makes it interesting. The people who thrive here are those who are comfortable with ambiguity, proactive, and willing to take ownership.

Why International?

What excites me most is the opportunity ahead. The brand is strong, the product is strong, and the customer base is there. It feels like it’s only a matter of time before the business grows significantly. The next couple of years, in particular, are very exciting.

For me, there’s a real sense of purpose in the work. Even on challenging days, you know that what you’re building will contribute to something bigger in the future.

Advice for Future Talent

If you’re comfortable with ambiguity and motivated to learn and grow, International is a great place to be.

My advice would be to focus on what you want to learn, not just your next role. Build a broad skill set and stay open to different opportunities. It’s also important to be proactive and take ownership of your development. There’s a lot of opportunity here, but you need to go after it.

Right now we’re in the hyper-growth phase, we’re laying the foundations for a strong international future, so my advice to anyone is to join us now so you can look back and be proud you played your part in the building blocks of this part of the business.

_

If you're intereted in a career in International, get in touch.