Name: Jill Raven Position: Managing director of John Lewis High Wycombe Born: October 6, 1967 Nottingham Education: Loughborough High School, Oxford Polytechnic, BSc Hons Hotel and Catering Management Lives: Marlow

AFTER my A-levels I had had enough of studying, so I took a year out.

I had always worked with horses and helped run a stables in New Hampshire, USA.

My mother and granny were both catering teachers and as I had no burning ambition to do anything in particular, I gravitated towards catering. I wanted to tackle something that would not involve four years of solid studying.

I started a sandwich course. I worked for the Hilton national chain at the Plaza Hyde Park, London, doing everything from cleaning toilets to chopping vegetables and housekeeping. I finished up as duty manager.

The job gives you tremendous exposure to dealing with customers at all levels. You see people at their best and at their worst. At the end of the day you want to make their stay as comfortable as possible.

You also have to deal with a diverse group of staff. The turnover rate in the hotel industry is very high, so you are always dealing with new recruits of many nationalities, working with agencies, cajoling and arbitrating. You become adept at not panicking in a crisis.

It prepared me for retailing in many ways, from the people side to team building.

During that time I also worked for two days a week making pies and pizzas in the covered market at Oxford. I never was a great cook and they soon took me off major 'cheffing'.

And I worked three nights a week doing silver service waitressing for an agency. I was sent to Buckingham Palace, the Royal Guildhall and Andrew Lord Webber's second anniversary party. I was probably a reasonably wealthy student when I left.

I learned organisational skills, realised the importance of pre-planning and working as a team.

At the end of the four years, I graduated with a first and decided catering was certainly not for me, but that my talents lay in the fields of organisation and customer interface.

That was what led me into thinking about retailing and I joined John Lewis Brent Cross as a graduate trainee in 1991.

I worked in perfumery as a sales assistant and then went on to nursery furniture. The first day I was there someone asked me for specific information about feeding their baby and I realised I would have to learn very quickly.

But there was plenty of training. The business is very focused at sharing information. I don't think you can do the job we do without that support network.

I went on to be section manager in fashion accessories, then section manager in toys before becoming acting department manager in jewellery and watches, covering for maternity leave. It was my first department head job and I had my own team of nine and two managers.

That was fantastic. I had a budget of £200,000 and had some leeway in selecting the stock. I get a real kick out of sales.

From there I became department manager in furniture at High Wycombe. It was a big promotion, with a much larger team and turnover.

With partners (employees) and managers working different shifts you have to focus on communication. It is quite demanding to get standards across when you do not see colleagues every day.

But it was tremendous fun and I had a passion for it. I never thought I would adapt so readily to selling.

I was visiting suppliers, looking at how the furniture was made, and trying different things out.

Retail is hard work but you need to smile.

In 1994 I was promoted to be assistant to the MD at Heelas in Reading and there I had the responsibility of liaising with all the departments. I was the link between them and the MD.

I was there for six months and worked with many more people and gained exposure to the more strategic side of the business.

From there I went to John Lewis Oxford Street, the flagship of the group, with more than 3,000 staff.

Very cruelly, I was responsible for the basement and the top floor (5th) - non fashions, everything from gardening to audio and TV.

I was 28. I was working with very experienced department managers and it was all about broadening horizons. I was growing in experience.

At the end of 1997, I became acting general manager at Tyrrell & Green in Southampton. It is a crucial support role focusing on selling support, warehousing, stock handling and deliveries.

I was second in command to the MD and learned that when you are looking at changes you don't make snap decisions - they have to be very well considered. Implementing change is not always popular and you need to be able to explain them in a way that it can be understood at all levels.

In April 1998 I was made MD at Bonds in Norfolk, the youngest female to be promoted to that role, and I moved there with my horses. My senior management team was very experienced and it hits you in these situations how very proud people are of their shops and that they have let you in.

I was delighted to be offered my dream job as MD at High Wycombe. Many of those in my former team were still there and that made settling in a lot easier.

When I joined John Lewis Brent Cross, the MD asked me what I wanted from my career. I answered 'the pot plant on your desk when I am MD'.

It is now going on my desk in High Wycombe.