June/July 2025
housewareslive.net
PEOPLE Brief Encounter Meyer’s Laura Starkie, UK Sales Director, shares her Houseware’s journey.
What is your current role and how long have you been doing it? I joined Meyer in March 2016 as a National Account Manager. After managing several different accounts and focusing on the ecomm channel, I was promoted to UK Sales Director in June 2024.
What does your role entail? My day to day role varies enormously, but I work closely with the Marketing, Product, Finance and Operations teams to ensure we are launching and delivering fantastic products. Additionally, I oversee our Customer Services and Projects team, working together to deliver the best retail and consumer experience.
How did you get started in the industry? I started my graduate career in Consumer Electronics and moved to took a National Account Manager’s role for Grocery at Groupe SEB. I immediately loved the sense of community within the industry and consider myself fortunate to have made lifelong friends who are still very present within the Housewares industry.
What roles were you doing before and how did they prepare you for this one? I have held a variety of Sales, Marketing and Product Manager roles in my career. These roles have been the building blocks for my position as Sales Director. For me, everything starts with the product and the brand. I have a passion for products and enjoy getting involved in solving retailer and consumer needs.
What would you like to achieve in this role? We have already made a great start in launching some fantastic products within our Circulon brand which have been well received by retailers and consumers. I believe we have wonderful products that offer
that Circulon has in the last 18 months, I believe we will achieve fantastic growth over the next three years.
What has been the highlight of your career so far? Being promoted to Sales highlight, especially as I have come “up through the sales ranks” at Meyer.
What do you see as the main issues for retailers and the industry at the moment? Uncertainty from world events is a real issue stopping people from with this having a knock on effect to retailers.
What one piece of advice would you give yourself at the start of your career? Trust your instincts and take the risks. If a role you’re doing doesn’t work for you or your work/life balance then be prepared to make a move. It may not be the perfect next move but you need to be the one who is in control of your career.
What keeps you busy at the weekends? I try not to be too busy at the weekends, due to the amount of travelling I usually do during the week for work. Usually I will go for a run and play some tennis. The weekends for me always involve food, seeing friends, and family.
If you’re at the bar, what are you drinking? I would always start with lager – probably an IPA if they have it on draft!
I love reading and think one of the best inventions of the 21st century is the Kindle app so I can take hundreds of books with me wherever I go. Recently I have read The Salt Path which has also now been made into a movie, which I would like to see – although it will be a weepy!
and why? A young Queen Victoria – I have an odd fascination for Royalty to England from Europe to take the throne at such a young age and how she made her voice heard in the English patriarchal establishment.
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