Salvatori Official

Lara

Department: Sales

Has Salvatori contributed to your professional and personal development? If so, how?

I joined Salvatori almost 26 years ago, straight after finishing my studies. In those days, Salvatori was literally just an office with two rooms for the family and myself, plus of course the guys in the production area.

There was nothing like the structure we have today. I started out with no particular ambitions. I was a secretary, but as the company grew, it just so happened that my role evolved too. I created the customer care team and then I moved into looking after the external sales network that was starting to develop. From there, a major step was moving to London to help set up Salvatori UK, including our flagship showroom. That was a particular rewarding (and challenging) experience that pushed me in both my professional and private lives, and one I wouldn’t swap for the world.

Everything I’ve done, I’ve really put my heart and soul into. Often I had to base decisions on a gut feeling, following my instinct and trusting in the company as we’ve grown together. And, I’ve definitely had a front row seat watching Salvatori evolve. I feel like a proud mother watching my child grow up and find their position in the world.

Tell us a little about your role and the team around you

These days, I look after the entire sales network so I interact with everyone involved in the purely commercial side of things, ie area managers, showroom managers and external sales agents. That includes drawing up contracts with our reps and agents, overseeing promotional activity, developing new markets and managing sales commissions. I also coordinate contracts with our clients and this involves working with a wider team that includes customer care, logistics and front office.

Which of Salvatori’s values resonates most with you?

The capacity (and desire) to keep our feet on the ground. By this I mean the way the company doesn’t forget its roots, in fact, I love that the origins are so important to what we do and who we are. That we can look at where we come from and where we’ve got to with pride, but not arrogance. Yes, today, we are described as a high-end designer brand with stores in some of the world’s most important design cities, but there’s still that attitude of just rolling up your sleeves and doing what needs to be done. This is the soul of the company, and one of the things I love most about Salvatori. I think it’s very easy to get caught up in the “glamour” of design, but not here. And I really hope we never lose that down-to-earth attitude.

Do you think there are any particular traits or skills that you simply must have to work at Salvatori?

We want to attract talented, ambitious people who bring passion, experience and know-how to the company. It’s not necessarily about technical skill, instead I believe that the fundamental requirement if you work here is that you must share our values. That means being sincere, simple, clear, willing to try new things and experiment. It’s more about the right personal skills rather than having all the qualifications in the world.

What’s the best part of your working week?

I honestly believe I’m one of those rare lucky people in the world who really loves their job. If you wake up in the morning and go off to spend the day doing something you enjoy, time flies, so I actually find this question quite a difficult one! But, if I had to choose one thing, I would say that it’s those moments with either clients or my colleagues when you hit upon an idea or solution that you know will resolve a situation or lead to something new and exciting.

Describe Salvatori using just one adjective

Salvatori is unique. It truly is. It’s unique because of the path it has forged, for its approach to the market, and above all, because of the incredible bond that exists among everyone in the company.