Testimonial from Solvay Alumni

Who are you ?

My name is Tom and I studied at Solvay - a bachelor in Economics, followed by a master in Management Science.

During my studies, I have always been interested in fashion and how to tackle the environmental issue this industry is facing. Therefore, for my master thesis, I studied alternatives to leather - using waste of natural resources. My learning compelled me to do something within the fashion industry.

Why did you choose to apply for a job at UNIQLO?

The first time I met UNIQLO’s representatives was during Solvay’s Career Fair. This is the time where they introduced me to their Graduate Programme, the UNIQLO Manager Candidate Programme. They basically hire young and ambitious students from business schools across Europe and train them to become a well-rounded Store Manager within one year.

I immediately felt the company was strongly connected to sustainability as they truly want to have a positive impact on the society and on their customers’ life, by providing them with the right high quality products that fit with their needs. This was a key driver in my motivation to be a part of this company.

Their recruitment process was also clear and short: assessment centre and one to one interviews with the HR and store operations team. It was all organised smoothly, compared to what I had experienced with other companies

What are you doing now?

The learning process at UNIQLO is very strong. I started as a sales associate in Brussels in September 2018, working hard to master all the basics of the shopfloor. Quickly, I became supervisor - having responsibilities and managing all the resources available to meet targets, including a small team.

On January 2019, I was offered the opportunity to move to a flagship store in Amsterdam as an Assistant store manager. It was kind of a new start given the size of the store: 3 floors – a team of more than 100 members! I have learnt to face many different situations, and they have all been amazing experiences and opportunities to experiment my leadership style to improve efficiency and business results.

During the UMC Programme, I have had the opportunity to join several training sessions in Paris and London. I learned how to become a business leader, a wide range of business-related skills, what Lifewear is all about and how to change conventional wisdom on a daily basis, in our stores.

Since September 2019, I am a floor manager in Amsterdam. My next goal on the short term is to become a highly skilled independent store manager.

What I would like to do in the coming years is to open new markets (we are only present in 9 countries in Europe!) and to implement relevant operational procedures to decrease our environmental impact as much as possible.

Tom and his team in Amsterdam

Anything to add to your fellow Solvay colleagues?

I would definitely recommend this programme to people willing to challenge themselves. It is a compelling learning process with a good balance between soft and hard skills.

If you think that we can change the world through clothes, then you are definitely at the right place!