Professional Experience

I have worked as a Buyer in a variety of different companies and industries the last 15 years. I feel very fortunate to have the opportunities that I have had and can say I learned something at every place I have worked. What I love about the role of a Buyer is no day is ever the same. When I’m on job interviews and I get asked what a typical day looks like, I have to laugh. As a Buyer, there is no typical day and every day can be completely different. I love that about the job. There are so many groups of people a Buyer gets to work with internally as well as externally which I also love. I have yet to come across another type of position where it involves working with but not limited to: Operations, Finance, Legal, Marketing, offshore factories, Planning, Logistics.

Throughout my experience, there have been a variety of job titles but all essentially have been the same role. You are responsible for a series of products within a category, or in my case multiple categories. Being a Buyer essentially means you are responsible for a business and making it successful. I have listed a high level list of my experience below. Currently I am looking for a new role and am excited about the possibility of where I may end up.

Inquiries for full time roles are welcome as are inquiries for consultation work.

AIMIA PROPRIETARY LOYALTY INC. – Manager, Rewards Procurement/Buyer

Responsible for sourcing and procurement of merchandise and gift card rewards in Aeroplan and other point redemption programs, securing vendor discounts for promotions, category/brand assortment, contract negotiation, and analysis. Categories managed include Electronics, Kitchen, Home & Garden, Fashion & Accessories, Luggage and Bags.

THE SHOPPING CHANNEL – Buyer

On Air Buyer for Seasonal, Cleaning, Storage, and Toy categories.  Responsible for purchasing and pricing, proposing products for Today’s Showstoppers and scheduling on air time slots to achieve sales budgets, gross margin and dollars per minute targets. Total dollars managed $15 million with vendor base of 80.

MARITZ CANADA INC. – Rewards Specialist/Buyer

Sourced merchandise for point redemption programs. Managed 1000 skus across 8 categories including; Housewares, Outdoor Living, Fashion Accessories, and Luggage. Combined redemption value $6m. Main responsibilities: category management, program analysis and vendor management.

THE HOME DEPOT – E-commerce Category Manager

Managed product categories for Home Depot website: Outdoor Living, Small Appliances, Home Décor, Kitchen and Bath; up to 2000 skus and $8m in sales. Worked closely with Retail Store Buyer to promote store skus online, attend line reviews and identify opportunities for online extended assortment.