Programmes such as Oxford Summer School help to foster and inspire retailers in an industry where talent is a business’s greatest resource.

Throughout my career I’ve been fortunate enough to work alongside many talented and industrious individuals.

No doubt they have made an impact on my performance and helped increase my confidence to make the important decisions a retailer needs to on a day-to-day, week-to-week, month-to-month basis. And recently it’s been more day-to-day than week-to-week.

I have understood the need for talent in retail since early on in my career. What seems like a lifetime ago now, I was lucky to be chosen by my line manager, along with a handful of others, to attend Oxford Summer School (OSS).

It was a week out of the business, staying in a prestigious Oxford College, which allowed me to take a step back and learn new management skills and develop existing ones with peers from across the industry. And it was a fantastic opportunity, considering the lack of time afforded to the average retailer, to generate fresh strategies and enhance management skills.

It’s safe to say the week left its mark. I’m now managing director of Oxford Summer School Ltd, a role I balance with being managing director of Clery’s department store in Dublin – and the two complement one another perfectly.

Wearing my retailer hat allows me to keep abreast of the industry and understand the demands retailers face.

Vice-versa, the cutting-edge programmes we run at OSS keep my feet firmly on the ground and remind me of the fundamentals of developing Clery’s best talent if we are to remain successful on the high street.

I am obsessed with talent. Talent is the one area of a business that, if you get it right, can make the biggest impact. OSS has evolved over the past few years to offer targeted training through three programmes aimed at all levels of retail management, helping raise talent in the industry.

We’re fortunate to work with many retailers, from guest speakers such as Ann Summers’ Vanessa Gold and Jeremy Seigal of White Stuff – both speaking this August – to our programme leaders and the delegates’ group directors, who all give up their time to facilitate programmes run by retailers, for retailers.

I’m consistently motivated after each programme by the feedback we receive. A recent survey found that 97% of delegates from 2012 and 2013 agreed the development received had benefited their team once they returned to work.

We also hear how it has directly changed people’s careers and thus indirectly benefited their personal lives. I can’t help but relate to these individuals because I have directly benefited from OSS.

Support in the industry is high and the increased backing from industry charity Retail Trust, which has come on board as headline partner for 2014/15, is a clear indication of the importance of keeping talent in our sector.

It’s easy for me to invest in my people when I see the big changes happen and the resulting positives. If you know me, or have met me at industry events, you’ll have heard me sing its praises. I’m not afraid to repeat myself now. A business’s talent is, as ever, its number-one resource.

  • Dominic Prendergast is managing director of Clery’s and Oxford Summer School