The Moodie Davitt Report brings you the latest instalment in our popular series Ten Easy Pieces*, in which we get up close and personal with leading travel retail personalities via ten snapshot questions.
In this edition we meet Lacoste Travel Retail Director Asia Pacific Erin Lillis, the former English country girl who now calls Hong Kong home.
1. Where were you born and raised?
I was born in Kent, an only daughter. Early on in my life Mum (Avril), Dad (Bernard) and I moved to Gloucestershire where I grew up on a farm. Dad was a game keeper in his spare time and Mum a full-time mum. She taught me a love of cooking from an early age.
I was seven when we moved to North Essex where I was still surrounded by country pursuits, hunting, shooting and fishing. Everything for me then revolved around horses and the stables. I learnt dressage; to be honest I was too much of a chicken to jump fences!
2. As a teenager did you have any idea of what you wanted to do with your life?
I knew what I was going to do when I was eight. My parents had taken me into London and we went to Harrods. I was spell-bound and told them then and there: “I want to work here as a window dresser when I grow up”.
They laughed and said “OK, sure” but I don’t think they thought I was so serious.
Later at high school I made sure the subjects I took – art, drama, textiles etc. – were in line with my plans. I left school at 16 and went to a college to study display and interior design.
I graduated on a Friday and started work at Harrods on the Monday. Actually, I’d planned to take a year out to be an air hostess but that never eventuated. I clearly hankered after travel even then!
3. Harrods is such an iconic store. What was it like to work there and why did you leave?
It was an amazing training and immersion in the retail world. When I started my wonderful manager Cheryl had me literally ironing clothes for over 70 windows and if there was a slight crease in anything it was redone until it was perfect. It was pretty annoying at the time but probably created the retail OCD I have now!
I worked my way up to Supervisor at Harrods, had a year down the road at Harvey Nichols as Assistant Manager, and then went back to Harrods as Manager of Menswear Display and Visual Merchandising (VM).
After commuting for a year I got tired of the 5:30am trains and I moved to London when I was 19. It was fantastic.
Of course at work we came across celebrities a fair bit. I met a TV actress at an event who had just bought a flat in an amazing location and was looking for a flatmate. Moving day came around and I still remember the look of amazement (actually horror) on her parents’ and the neighbours’ faces when my parents turned up with my furniture and belongings in a 20-year-old horsebox, complete with straw and muck. It was a classic! Nevertheless it was a great home.
I left Harrods in 2000 when I got the call to work as Head of VM & Store Design at the equally iconic Lacoste.
4. You are nearly six years at the helm of Lacoste’s development in Asia Pacific travel retail. How is the brand using its heritage to increase its footprint in the region?
Lacoste has an amazing edge as the founder of the polo shirt. It’s our 85th anniversary this year and, as the inventor of the polo, it’s so exciting to be able to have such a great brand story to tell customers along with a continually inventive product. Few people know that René Lacoste was an inventor as well as a tennis player; the ball throwing machine that has been used for decades was invented by René.
We are continually striving for exceptional retail experience, basically ensuring the customer is at the centre of everything we do. We’ve recently launched a new range of bags called Anna, which are selling amazingly, and a fantastic new polo called The Paris Polo, which has created a new occasion to wear with a more business/ formal focus.
Our ongoing strategy is bigger and better; more qualitative stores in great locations in partnership with great operators.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=11&v=IZC02EQqcXc
5. And this year you are celebrating 18 years with Lacoste. One stand-out moment and what do you consider your greatest challenge?
Moving to Asia Pacific nine years ago was a huge learning curve. Knowing how to deal with the nuances of the individual markets of the 16 countries I cover was a minefield to begin with as each need subtle different approaches. Even now it’s one of the things I love. I don’t speak any verbal languages other than English (apart from understanding a fair bit of French of course) but knowing small words and mannerisms ensures that you can get by smoothly.
Throughout my time with Lacoste there have been countless amazing moments so it’s really hard to pick just one. A standout recent memory is from our show at Paris Fashion Week in September. It was the first show in Paris after many years of showing in New York and being a French brand, coupled with the fact it was outdoors, gave it a special feeling. I was very happy to be part of it.
6. What do you love most about your job?
When I was introduced into the world of travel retail it didn’t take long for me to fall for the energy, the amazing camaraderie and the people in the industry. It pairs my long-term love of retail with that of a strange love of airports which I’d developed from an early age.
Travel, and its experiences, has always been a thing for me and I never tire of it. Last year I think I was travelling for more than 150 days. My suitcase is permanently packed; I just change a few things and I’m off again.
I am a self-confessed perfectionist. I like to do things right. As such, the focus on excellence in customer and brand experience for such an iconic label is a great match.
7. Nine years in Hong Kong. Is it home now?
Yes, it does feel like home. I am very comfortable here and in Asia in general. I do go back to the UK occasionally, but after my wonderful Mum passed away in 2011, my Dad came to visit me in Hong Kong. He then backpacked throughout Asia and has settled in Thailand so he’s not so far away.
Hong Kong is surprising. Everyone thinks of the city as a concrete jungle and it really isn’t. It’s made up of 70% national parks with stunning mountains and beaches so, along with the famous nightlife, there really is something for everyone!
When I arrived in Hong Kong I didn’t really know anyone, nor did I know the city. I had six weeks before starting as Lacoste and found myself involved with Hong Kong Dog Rescue. I became a volunteer dog walker, walking 20 dogs a day in shifts… small dogs, big dogs, short leads, long leads. It was hot and rather smelly at times but I met some great people and it really gave me a good grounding in the city.
After all those dogs I now have two cats which I ‘inherited’ from my good friend who had to move back to the UK. One is very loving and extremely vocal and the other sits in the corner and glares at me. She’s plotting my death I think!
8. You are constantly on the go but still manage to get heavily involved with charity work. How did you end up decorating cookies with children in Cambodia?
My good friend Helen founded Angels for Orphans, a Hong Kong charity which supports several orphanages, including Sunrise Cambodia, with four children’s centres across the country. When I made my first Siem Reap trip to visit Angkor Wat I went to see the team and the kids and basically the rest is history!
What started with decorating cookies with the kids led to reading the amazing Sunrise Founder Geraldine Cox’s autobiography, meeting the woman herself, and then a hands-on fundraising and project involvement.
It’s also about getting others interested and involved. Another friend of mine, Annie, is a top violin teacher here in Hong Kong. She visited the orphanage and is now coaching several children there, one of whom is regarded to be very talented with the potential to go far in the music world. That’s something huge for someone with an impoverished start in life.
I’ve done several personal fundraising events but a key breakthrough was Women in Travel Retail (WiTR) taking on Sunrise as their chosen charity for two years running. That’s resulted in huge support and the completion of two big classroom building projects in Siem Reap to educate not just live-in kids but over 3,000 others in the community.
I’ve also been involved in a few other fundraising efforts. When Typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines in 2013 it totally wrecked, among many other things, a school in an outlying island in Iloilo. A friend approached me asking for help; she said the kids were being taught under a tree.
Well, I had an idea. I put a message on my Facebook page explaining that I would stop all food and alcohol for seven days if people sponsored me. I had nothing but green juice and water for a week but raised US$5,400 thanks to great support. We not only put a roof on the school but added seating and desks for all the kids.
9. Three people who have influenced your career?
Cheryl Trafford-Wilkins, my first-ever manager at Harrods, taught me that all-important attention to detail. I have a lot to thank her for!
Frank Cancelloni, my previous CEO at Lacoste, has played an integral part, not only in my huge experience in Asia with many varied missions across the region, but also for being the gateway to my travel retail life. He believed in me and challenged me to transition from a retail excellence background into the commercial world. He was, and still is, hugely supportive.
Jean-Louis Delamarre, my current CEO, is an amazing manager and has mentored me in the past years, tweaking my entrepreneurial spirit with much more processes and big-picture thinking. We have a great rapport and work balance for which I’m very happy.
10. With such a hectic life, how does Erin Lillis switch off?
I love reading but with two phones, the iPad and laptop, there are many distractions during the week. So I read when I am on holiday.
I love watching movies – the last one I saw was Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri – and music. I always have music playing, can’t live without it. I am rather like my Mum who could be listening to opera one minute and Black Sabbath the next. I can swap from classics like Helen Reddy to very current tracks. Whatever it is there’s always a playlist on the go!
I love cooking, all types of food and recently enjoyed an afternoon of cake baking and decorating with my friend’s young daughter… something that was very reminiscent of my childhood with Mum.
And I love eating out and enjoying good wine. I am very sociable so not at home very often but the occasional ‘duvet day’ is a huge treat!
My motto for life? That would be to try anything once!
*PREVIOUSLY FEATURED TEN EASY PIECES PERSONALITIES INCLUDE:
Meet Ian Macleod Distillers Travel Retail Director Andy Lane
Meet Planters nut and snack specialist Jacco Douma
Meet Tumi Director General Europe Damien Mignot
Meet Brazilian Scotch whisky specialist André de Almeida
Meet entrepreneur and ‘chocolate king’ Steven Goldstein
Meet Mondelez Head of Customer Development Richard Houseago
Meet F.I.N.E Jewellery Founder Ari Johansson
Meet Blue Storks Founder and Managing Partner Arnaud Fauvarque
