Each year, International Women’s Day is a chance to celebrate women everywhere. Our workforce is currently 81% women and we are delighted to be surrounded by an outstanding team throughout Sheila Fleet Jewellery, from retail, to the jewellery workshop, to the office, and everywhere between!

Following on from International Women’s Day on 8 March, we wanted to introduce you to some of our amazing women through a three-part blog. Find out more about what they do, their favourite aspects of the job, and what it's like working at Sheila Fleet Jewellery.

Here in Part One, you will be meeting some of the women from the Creative and Office teams...

Rachel Wood – Social Media & Marketing Coordinator

A bit about your role:

It's my job to promote and inspire people about the brand. My job includes various roles such as photography and digital content creation, social media scheduling and engagement, email creation, blog writing, researching, assisting in website content and ideas, planning the marketing for the year, booking and coordinating our print adverts in various magazines, and coordinating other physical marketing resources such as posters, leaflets, etc. As well as many other exciting roles and situations that may occur!

What is the most exciting or favourite part of your job?

I love many parts of my role for different reasons! It's an ever-changing job, and no day is ever the same. I'm an artistic person, so I love to do anything creative. Whether it's creating content with photography and video, creating digital content, or blog writing, it's great to be working on something new, and having to regularly come up with fresh and interesting ideas. I really enjoy researching current trends and watching how other brands market their products and inspire their audiences.

By the way, while I'm here, be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest and sign up to our VIP mailing list for all things Sheila Fleet! 😉

Morag Walker – Despatch Manager

A bit about your role:

It's my job to pack up and post all the orders that have been placed through our website, in our shops, or by phone. I carefully pack each piece of boxed jewellery along with the order compliment slip in our printed mailing boxes ready for the post. We ship daily, so each morning is spent packing and processing all orders ready to go that day, and afternoons are mostly spent preparing for the next day and helping out with customer service. 

You send Sheila Fleet Jewellery all over the world, all the way from Orkney. Have any of the locations surprised you?

It's amazing to see the jewellery go all over the world, especially when we are such a small place! Outwith the UK, we regularly send to countries such as Germany, France, Australia, Canada and the USA. But we even get orders from far-flung places such as Dubai, Qatar, Israel and Kazakhstan!

Mairi Fleet – Financial Director

A bit about your role:

I oversee the company’s accounts, cash flow, monthly payroll and prepare quarterly VAT returns. Added to this I maintain all of the company’s HR & pension duties and assist in the overall decision making for the company’s operation and forward planning.

Mairi is also Sheila's daughter-in-law! Pictured above and below with her daughter (Sheila's granddaughter), Holly, both wearing Tiny Treasures ✨

How does it feel to be one of the two women directors to run Sheila Fleet Jewellery, and what is your favourite part of the role?

As much as it's a huge responsibility, it’s a massive privilege to be a director of such an amazing company, and to have the opportunity to observe and learn from the woman herself! There's so much to learn. I love hearing Sheila’s philosophy and reasoning behind decisions that were made right back at the start of trading, but that still hold true today and underpin the fundamental aims and objectives of the company. This underlines the importance of why emphasis is placed on different aspects of what we do and how the cause and effect of such decisions filter down through to the finished products.

My favourite part of the role is definitely working as part of such a dynamic strong team. I love that we have so many colleagues in different parts of the county and country doing different jobs, and all bringing something unique to the company, which in turn helps us continue to evolve and thrive. It’s a very creative and exciting environment to work in. One minute we could be looking at pictures from a photoshoot and considering adverts, and the next minute dealing with our new stock management system or working on statutory returns. No two days are the same. I’m sometimes even allowed to gift wrap! 😆

Eva Herdman – Retail & Merchandising Coordinator

A bit about your role:

Having worked for 13 years as the manager of Sheila's Jenners shop in Edinburgh, there's not much I don't know about her collections and the pieces that sell best. When I moved back to Orkney in 2012, this knowledge proved very useful when helping our trade customers decide what to order for their shops. I work with several of our biggest customers to organise what the new collections will be for the coming year and I set up new displays to include these new pieces. As well as helping our own shops with their displays, I also manage the jewellery catalogue that all shops use on a daily basis, coordinate jewellery samples to be sent to photography, and I help Sheila with 101 other little jobs around the workshop! 

What is your favourite collection to display and why? 

I can't say I have a favourite collection to display. (I certainly have favourite collections to wear but that's a different question!) I really love when we do a completely new display setup. Sheila and I usually work together to get the overall look of the display, especially if it's for one of our own shops. We'll decide what pictures to use, and what natural materials complement the jewellery best, such as beach pebbles, shells, seaweed or branches. You're always restricted by the size and shape of the cabinet, and what works for one shop maybe won't work in another. I think that's what makes this an interesting job: it's never the same day twice!

 

Look our for Part Two of our 'Women at Sheila Fleet Jewellery' blog, coming soon!