Wonderbly spotlight: Heather Ewles, Head of Operations

Our monthly Wonderbly Spotlight series features Heather Ewles, Head of Operations. Learn about aspects of her role, the problems the Operations team are solving, and her favourite things about life at Wonderbly.

What was your first role at Wonderbly?

I came in as a relatively inexperienced Operations Controller, having not worked in publishing before. I had to work pretty hard in the interview to demonstrate my transferable skills but I was really excited about the role as I just loved the vibe of Wonderbly and I knew it would be a great fit for me. I was on contract for the first 9 months, and now I’ve been here nearly 5 years and I'm now Head of Operations, leading a team of 5 - I'm pretty proud of what I've achieved!

?How would you sum up what you do at Wonderbly?

I manage everything that goes into creating the final physical product and getting it to the customer, from manufacturing, shipping, buying, supply chain and everything else in between. It is a very busy department but I have an amazing team and network of suppliers and printers to help keep everything running smoothly.?

In our department, every day is different. Your priorities are constantly changing because you’re so reliant on external suppliers and other external factors. It can be challenging at times but it is also rewarding and fun.

What’s a typical week for you?

My focus has changed since my promotion to Head of Operations last year. It’s a lot more strategic now. In my role, I need to think about how Wonderbly is future-proofed against what’s happening around the globe, including ensuring we have a sustainable supply chain.? As well as the strategic side of my role, in a typical week I also divide my time between supporting my team, maintaining good relationships with our suppliers and ensuring we are reporting accurately so that we can make the right commercial decisions.

What types of problems are you solving?

It is a tough environment at the moment, with costs rising and the general effect of the global economy. My team is finding ways to minimise the impact of rising costs on Wonderbly’s bottom line. Operations at Wonderbly has historically been a team focused on finding efficiencies and saving money. That’s harder at the moment, so I’m moving us towards finding ways to reduce spend and support the business by generating additional revenue. We’re looking strategically at how we manufacture, how we ship, and tightening our processes to drive revenue. I believe we will be able to make significant changes that will benefit the wider business and offer the customer a better experience.

What kinds of people tend to do well in operations?

Go-getters and self-starters. Every day’s different and you never know what’s going to come up, so we like flexible people who can keep a level head in difficult situations, who’ll grab things with both hands and move quickly when priorities change. Having an eye for detail is a great asset too.

What was your career path before Wonderbly?

I studied Accounting & Finance at university, then spent a year as an auditor in the City. I am good with numbers and data but it wasn’t the career path for me. I’d always loved fashion, so I then moved into merchandising within high street fashion, then into supply chain also within fashion before dipping my toe into the world of start-ups and operations, which really suited me. And that’s what led me to Wonderbly.

What’s your favourite thing about Wonderbly?

The people and the product. It’s important to like what you produce, and I’m proud of the meaning behind our product and what it gives people. But the thing that’s really amazing about Wonderbly is the team. These are incredible people with incredible minds, and that inspires you to work hard to keep striving for improvement. I feel very lucky to work in a team mixing creativity, technology and business acumen. But more than that, I've made friends for life here.?

What would you like people to know before coming to work for us?

It’s exciting, it’s fun – and it’s challenging. The people here love what they do, and that’s what makes it so special. But if you’re just looking for a job where you can log on and log off, that’s not the vibe here.

There can be amazing career progression, and I feel lucky for the opportunities I’ve had. That’s been driven by good mentors who’ve given me opportunities to take on more responsibility. I don’t think you get to figure out your place in other companies the way I’ve been able to here. That’s unique to Wonderbly.

Do you have a favourite Wonderbly memory?

Professionally: the PSP (Print Service Provider) Summits. Every year we fly our PSPs from all around the world into our offices. We have a business-wide retro of the previous year, then discuss the future strategy. We haven’t been able to host one in person for a couple of years because of Covid, so it will be exciting to be have all these interesting, animated conversations with people around the table again.?

Personally: We’ve had some really fun parties. Too many to call out one in particular but over the years there have been a lot of good memories which always make me smile.