Women in management

Dora Magafas
Senior Business Manager - General Merchandise, Woolworths Supermarkets 

What does your role involve?
As a trading Senior Business Manager, there are a number of Financial & Non Financial KPIs which are used to measure my success.

The role includes the following:

• Achieve the teams' financial KPI targets in Sales, Profit, Days of Supply and Service levels.
• Develop, train, manage & inspire the team in achieving our overall targets.
• Proactively build & develop effective partnerships with our vendors both locally & overseas.
• Ensure the team adheres to the Woolworths procedures, policies & guidelines.
• Design & implement the department's strategic plans for future growth opportunities.
• Continue strong working relationships with other parts of our business, including Operations, Supply Chain and Finance.

What are some of the key skills needed to do your job effectively?
The key skills required to do my job effectively is to acquire the following:

• A sound knowledge of the buying principles.
• A good understanding of the operational impacts of our decision making.
• Demonstrate excellent influence & negotiations skills.
• Have strong financial & analytical skills.
• Excel in people management skills.
• Have a high degree of PASSION & DRIVE for retail.

What are some of the rewarding challenges involved in getting your job done?
The rewarding challenge in getting my job done is seeing our fantastic work come to fruition. The excitement our ranges bring to our customers & stores through extensive product development and competitive prices has provided General Merchandise with excellent Sales & profit results over the years.

My personal reward is the satisfaction of being proud of the team's personal development and seeing many of them grow into leaders within our organisation.

How has your career at Woolworths evolved?
I commenced my career at Woolworths in 1985 and for the last 20 years I have been exposed to different roles, all of which have been a great learning experience, exciting and have provided me with a great level of job satisfaction.

While at high school and studying accounting I worked in our Town Hall store for 9 years, firstly as a friendly checkout operator, then progressed to a service supervisor & department manager.

In 1994 I pursued a career in our head office, starting firstly in our marketing department as one of the catalogue production co-ordinators responsible for planning and co-ordinating the General Merchandise and Crazy Prices catalogues.

My ambition was to eventually have the opportunity to work in the buying department and develop a whole new set of skills that would allow me to grow in our business. This desire became a reality in 1996 when I was appointed the assistant buyer in the underwear & socks category and after 3 years of changing categories I was promoted to trainee buyer.

Within 6 months I was promoted to Business Manager looking after the largest General Merchandise portfolio. With continued strong performances in all financial KPIs I was recognised for my excellent results and promoted to Senior Business Manager (SBM)in 2003 for General Merchandise.

Two years later I have now been promoted to the SBM role in Long Life 3 groceries and responsible for the cleaning, paper goods and health/beauty categories. This role will no doubt further develop my management skills and provide me with a new and exciting challenge.

Have you received any training through the Woolworths Certificate Programs to further your career at Woolworths?
To further develop my management skills I have been fortunate enough over the last few years to participate in both internal and external programs.

The Woolworths Executive Management Program developed my knowledge in Negotiation skills, Leadership Skills and Retailing Innovation.

In 2003 I also attended the Food Industry Executive Program at Monash University with a major focus on Leadership, Brand Management and Strategic developments.

Currently I am also involved in the Woolworths Scholarship program completing a marketing degree at Western Sydney University.

What have been the highlights of your career at Woolworths?
There have been many highlights over the years with Woolworths. The most major achievement and highlight of my career was being awarded the 2005 Business Support Group member of the year for outstanding performance and contribution over the last 12 months.

Another highlight that I am very proud of is, over the last 2 years as the SBM of General Merchandise I have led the team to achieve exceptional sales & profit results, so we have been recognised as one of the star departments within our Supermarket business.

Further comments?
The gratitude I have towards our organisation for their investment, coaching, training & commitment in developing me as a successful manager and making me the person I am today.

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