When Sharry Cramond was growing up on a council estate in central Scotland she never dreamed that she would work for some of the biggest names in global retail.

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However, the retail industry opened the door to phenomenal opportunities that she gladly seized, spending time in roles with giants such as Tesco and Australian firms Target and Coles before nabbing what she terms her dream role – not just any marketing director job, but the M&S Food marketing director job.

“I grew up in a happy but low-income family and didn’t have any sort of business leader role models in my life. No one would really expect me to do anything other than live in the town and work in the town,” she recalls.

Despite this lack of expectation, she never doubted herself, turned setbacks to her advantage and vowed to grab any chances she was offered. 

Sharry Cramond

Sharry Cramond: ‘I haven’t met anyone in retail who cares a jot what school you went to or what type of accent you have’

Teased on her first day at school as an 11-year-old because her second-hand blazer was a different colour to the other children’s, she told herself she preferred the colour she had.

“This highlighted to me at an early age that if you tell yourself something over and over again it can become your truth, and it started off my obsession with the power of self-talk and the power of the mind to achieve whatever you want in life,” she says.

Abandoning ambitions to become a journalist after failing a spelling test, Cramond forged ahead with a career in marketing, working at food conglomerate Kraft before joining the world of retail. She spent more than a decade at Tesco with roles ranging from convenience business planning manager through to dealing with the Competition Commission, before joining Coles in Australia – a pivotal moment.

She says: “My big break was meeting Archie Norman when he was interviewing me for Coles in Melbourne and then joining the turnaround team in Australia.  With [now M&S Food managing director] Stuart Machin, [former Halfords and Asda director] Ian McLeod and others. Archie had assembled the most incredible team and I learned so much from working alongside them.

“I had never worked so hard in my life, but equally never achieved so much or had so much fun. I think you just get addicted to turnarounds – well, I did anyway, as I then worked with Ian again on another retail turnaround in the US and am back with Archie and Stuart now at M&S. I could truly pinch myself that I get to work with such incredible people.”

Cramond’s dream job

Cramond joined M&S in 2018 and is responsible for the way the retailer communicates with its customers, which covers everything from packaging design to social media and advertising.

Remarksable M&S

She recently launched M&S Food’s ‘Remarksable’ campaign, which emphasises the competitive prices of its grocery staples. The campaign aims to show shoppers that M&S Food products are cheaper than they might think and that families can buy bigger baskets at the retailer. 

This marketing plan is key to attracting a wider audience to M&S, particularly as it forges ahead with its online venture with Ocado.

However, Cramond’s role is incredibly varied.

“In a typical day, I might be working with the product developers on exciting new launches, meeting with the trading team or I could be on a video shoot with our panel of celebrity food tasters – Amanda Holden, Rochelle Humes, Paddy McGuinness and Emma Willis,” she says.

Being pushed to go further

She regards Norman, Machin and McLeod as her mentors and explains: “They pushed me to go further and do more than I ever thought possible and it’s because of working for all of them and their leadership that I’m in the position I’m in.”

Cramond believes that is representative of retail more widely and maintains: “I haven’t met anyone in retail who cares a jot what school you went to or what type of accent you have.

”Everyone is as important as anyone else – in fact, the most important people are working in the stores. They are our brand and anyone can rise up the ranks. It’s all about working hard, having the right attitude and always putting the customer first. There are lots of examples of people who have gone from the shop floor to chief executive.”

Cramond has just written a book about her career so far and the lessons she has learned called Win Your Lottery. She says: “The reason I’ve written it is because the thing that I’m most passionate about in my life, apart from my family and working hard for M&S, is helping others see that anyone can be whatever they want to be and achieve their dreams, regardless of background.

“My advice to anyone who’s starting out is to always go the extra mile. In my experience, there will always be someone smarter than you, or from a more privileged background – I come from a council estate in Scotland – but I believe that where I am today was definitely helped by having a positive, can-do attitude: ‘The answer’s yes, now what was the question?’”

Cramond and her career so far are testament to how the retail industry can be a powerful force for social mobility for those with a can-do attitude.

Get involved in No Limits

If you are a senior retail leader and want to get involved in the No Limits campaign, or if you are a retail employee with an inspirational story of how the sector has changed your life for the better, contact Retail Week editor Luke Tugby on luke.tugby@retail-week.com

Join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #RWNoLimits.