An Interview With Sara Connell
You’re never too old to learn. I believe in continuous self-improvement, no matter your age. And it doesn’t always have to be lessons meant to advance your career. It’s all about the path to enlightenment (physical, emotional, spiritual) and the steps you take to get there.
Books have the power to shape, influence, and change our lives. Why is that so? What goes into a book that can shape lives? To address this, we are interviewing people who can share a story about a book that changed their life, and why. As a part of our series, I had the pleasure of interviewing Kriti Mawji.
Kriti Mawji is the head of Marketing and Procurement at Belledorm, a textile company based in Manchester, England. When she isn’t busy promoting her company’s brand, she loves spending time with her husband and two children.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory” and how you grew up?
You’re welcome, Sara. I’m so happy to be part of this new series by Authority Magazine! I was born and raised in Bolton in the United Kingdom and come from a big family. I studied Marketing at Leeds Beckett University and I previously worked in several fields such as Supply Chain Management and Strategic Sourcing.
Let’s talk about what you are doing now, and how you achieved the success that you currently enjoy. Can you tell our readers a bit about the work you are doing?
I’ve been working at Belledorm since I graduated with my university degree back in 2006. I started as a Marketing Representative at the company before being promoted to Marketing Manager in 2010. Over the years, I developed an interest in how linens are properly sourced and transitioned into the dual role of Marketing Manager and Procurement Manager at Belledorm at the end of 2021.
You are a successful leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?
Thank you, that’s very kind of you to say. Three character traits that have been most instrumental for my success are strategic thinking, empathy, and fostering a culture of ethics and fair practices. I developed the first character trait while working in Strategic Sourcing. It taught me to prioritise the fair-trade practices we implement at Belledorm and how to better serve the environment with our production and waste removal processes. I developed the second character trait through collaboration with my marketing team and through Belledorm’s charitable contributions to our local community here in Bolton as well as abroad in India. We go to great lengths to recognise and celebrate our dedicated and talented departments and the work they do to make our brand a success. The underprivileged and the environment are also important to Belledorm and its parent company, the Ruia Group. Over the years, we’ve donated lots of money and resources to organisations such as the Bolton Lads and Girls Clubs, Save the Tiger, and Orbis International. I developed the third character trait through my continued work in procurement in Belledorm. I’ve used my experience in strategic sourcing and supply chain management to build good relationships with our suppliers over the years, ensuring that we only source linens that are fairly traded and which haven’t been produced by exploited individuals such as child labour.
What’s the WHY behind the work that you do? Please share a story about this if you can.
As a woman of colour in a position of power, I’m very passionate about leaving behind a legacy of innovation and equality. One of the other organisations that Belledorm donates charitably to is EK Preyaas’ Children School in India. Helping children in need (especially young girls) through education is very close to my heart too.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
It’s so true what you say, Sara. I’m most thankful to my parents for helping me get to where I am now in life. They came from humble beginnings and both of them worked full-time to put my siblings and I through school. My parents taught me the meaning of hard work and perseverance, which helped me later on with getting a scholarship to Leeds Beckett University and maintaining my grades, which led me to my current role at Belledorm. My mum and dad are my greatest ‘hype men’. They’re always there to cheer me on no matter what — I don’t know what I’d do without them.
Awesome! Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. I’m an author and I believe that books have the power to change lives. Can you please tell our readers about “The Book That Changed Your Life”? Can you share a story about how it impacted you?
Absolutely. I recently read ‘Start with Why’ by Simon Sinek, which changed my life. This book spoke to me for several reasons. Firstly, it’s a book that helps entrepreneurs remember the reason behind the businesses they created (by asking that all important ‘why’). Secondly, once you understand what your business is all about, Sinek offers some illuminating examples from entrepreneurs throughout history to inspire you in your professional role. Belledorm is a family business with family values (equality, transparency, and creativity) at its core. So much so that it inspired my marketing team and I to share more of Belledorm’s unique brand story through personalised digital marketing campaigns on our website and even through my personal social media accounts like Facebook.
What was the moment or series of events that made you decide that you wanted to take a specific course of action based on the inspiration from the book? Can you share a story about that?
It was the start of 2022, and I was figuratively banging my head against the wall over how to make Belledorm’s procurement processes more streamlined as well as figuring out how to breathe new life into our digital marketing campaigns at the time. Every company out there wants their customers to trust them and stay loyal to their brand; Back then, I was adamant about creating and promoting new processes that showed Belledorm’s commitment to its staff, its stakeholders, the community and the environment. Reading ‘Start With Why’ by Simon Sinek made me realise that my initial approach to Belledorm’s marketing and branding was misplaced. I didn’t need to change the focus of our digital advertising entirely; all I needed to do was create more levels of transparency and help our customers and suppliers get to know our company and its culture bit by bit. The rest, as they say, would follow.
Can you articulate why you think books in particular have the power to create movements, revolutions, and true change?
One thing I learnt while studying Marketing is that we as human beings love stories. Storytelling is an important way of explaining our cultures, values and motivations as well as depicting our everyday lives. At their core, books (fiction and non-fiction) capture the essence of what it means to be human through their pages. ‘Start With Why’ showed me the humble beginnings of historical entrepreneurs like the Wright Brothers. They made ground-breaking innovations in transportation at a time when many people were perfectly content with using trains, automobiles, and even horseback to travel across countries. They knew what the ‘why’ of their business was — to create a mode of transportation that helped people reach their destinations faster and safer. For me, books have the power to create a spark of inspiration that turns into a flame of innovation.
A book has many aspects, of course. For example, you have the writing style, the narrative tense, the topic, the genre, the design, the cover, the size, etc. In your opinion, what are the main, essential ingredients needed to create a book that can change lives?
Wow, that’s tough to answer right off the bat, Sara. I’d have to say that the essential ingredients needed to create a book that can change lives are three-fold: write what you like (as the activist Steve Biko once said), write from the heart, and write something that other people can relate to. You can’t write a book meant to change lives if you don’t care about the story you want to tell.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started My Career” and why?
These are the five things I wish someone had told me before I started my career:
- Good things take time. I learnt this while slaving away on my Marketing degree at Leeds Beckett. It took a lot of sweat and tears to get my qualification, which landed me a fantastic job with the Ruia Group.
- An achievement means more when you’ve worked hard for it. Once again, I think of my time at Leeds Beckett. If my parents had paid for my studies back then, I doubt that I would’ve appreciated it nearly as much as I do now. The fact that I earned that qualification on my own means more than it simply being handed to me.
- Don’t be afraid to admit that you don’t have all the answers. When I transitioned into Procurement at Belledorm, I already had a lot of knowledge with Strategic Sourcing and Supply Chain Management. But that didn’t stop me from asking those in my team with more experience and wisdom for help with streamlining our procurement processes even more. You never know where your next award-winning idea will come from.
- An act of kindness, no matter how small, always has an impact. I’ve learnt this through my charitable work with the Bolton Lads and Girls Clubs. Spending time with these wonderful children on my free weekends has been a life-changing experience. Most times, I feel like they have given me a lot more in return than what I first gave them.
- You’re never too old to learn. I believe in continuous self-improvement, no matter your age. And it doesn’t always have to be lessons meant to advance your career. It’s all about the path to enlightenment (physical, emotional, spiritual) and the steps you take to get there.
The world, of course, needs progress in many areas. What movement do you hope someone (or you!) starts next? Can you explain why that is so important?
I couldn’t agree more, Sara. If I had the funds to do it, I would start my own organisation or consultancy focused on helping companies expand their CSR programmes. Regardless of the size of your company, it’s important for all of us to get involved with preserving the environment and helping our communities.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
Your readers are welcome to follow me on LinkedIn and Facebook for more information about my work and Belledorm.
Thank you so much for taking the time to share with us and our readers. We know that it will make a tremendous difference and impact thousands of lives. We are excited to connect further, and we wish you so much joy in your next success.
Thank you for having me, Sara. This has been a tremendous experience — here’s hoping my stories change lives too!
Kriti Mawji On The Book That Changed Her Life was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.