My journey from Membership to Digital, Tech and Data

Aysha shares her career moves in Co-op so far and some advice for others looking to grow their career.

Reflecting on my career journey at Co-op so far, I’ve had a few moves in the seven years I’ve been here. I started in the Membership team before moving into the Local Marketing Team, where I led store marketing campaigns and colleague experiential activities.

My journey to my current role

From there, I transitioned to the Insight and Research team, focusing on the “Your Store Your Say” survey. I provided insights and reporting to Operational Field Teams and Festival Marketing Teams while also working to enhance engagement with our insight dashboard. I then took on a secondment with the Member Research Team, contributing to various projects within The Collective.

Currently, I’m part of the Strategy, Performance, and Governance team, leading Training and Development for our Digital, Tech, and Data teams. In this role, I collaborate closely with our People and Talent teams, as well as leaders, to foster an inclusive culture of learning and development. I’m really enjoying where I am and excited to see where it might take me.

My advice for others

Having made these moves has taught me a lot about my career and if I was to share some advice with colleagues looking to make moves, I’d say make sure you search beyond just the role itself when you’re looking. Take the time to understand the team’s culture, goals, challenges, and ways of working. Ask yourself if this is an environment where you can thrive. Finding the right fit can make all the difference in your career journey.

I’d also suggest seeking out mentor, coaches and like-minded colleagues who you can relate to and get constant feedback from. Continuously learning from and connecting with others’ is something I’ve always got a lot from. Pushing myself out my comfort zone and putting myself out there has helped me grow my confidence. As a result, these have helped me overcome challenge and improve my performance in areas where I once felt less assured.

Aysha Khalid

Lead Operations Officer - Development.