House of VIBES

Leaders, It’s not about who you know. It’s about who knows you. (I scale your reputation so you get seen by the right people). 

LinkedIn Personal Branding for CEOs, C-suite execs, and Leaders.

Founder & CEO

Gabriele Grikstaite

Self-employed External Marketing Consultant for various tech companies.

Digital Marketing Consultant

KPMG Denmark

In my position as Marketing Consultant at KPMG in Denmark my primary responsibilities included: 

- Establishing the corporation's LinkedIn presence 
- Planning, coordination and execution of KPMG and third party events
- Coordination and management of corporate sponsorship agreements 
- Developing and creating marketing deliverables such as collateral, newsletters, sales brochures and videos and coordination with internal stakeholders and agencies
- Collaboration with different internal business units to support marketing programs and deliverables that position KPMG for future sales opportunities 

Started as a student assistant in the team while completing my Master's degree.

Marketing Consultant

Agentur LOOP

Community Manager for the agency's Scandinavian brand activities on Facebook.
Primary tasks:

- Leading the team of four Scandinavian Community Managers
- Active Community Management for two global brands in Denmark 
- Creation of editorial calendars and creative content 
- Stats, screenshots of best conversations and short explanation in order to create monthly report for the client 
- Improve ideas on community management

Lead Community Manager Scandinavia

Copenhagen Fashion Week

While working as project assistant at Copenhagen Fashion Week I assisted with the execution of the following projects: 

- Danish and international press contact
- Maintainance of the contact database 
- Maintainance of the websites: danishfashioninstitute.dk, copenhagenfashionweek.com and copenhagenfashionfestival.com, including writing news bites, uploading event information and images  
- Coordinating the backstage lounge at the official Copenhagen Fashion Week show venue, including contact with sponsors 
- Editorial assistance with the Copenhagen Fashion Festival programme  
- Assisted the coordinators of the volunteer crew during fashion week 
- Assisted the sales coordinator at the office with various tasks 

Furthermore, I assisted on the event planning and execution of Copenhagen Fashion Summit 2012 in the Copenhagen Opera House.

Project Assistant

Personal Branding Catalyst | LinkedIn Ghostwriting for Purpose-Led Founders & Execs @vibecopy.io

As a Leader, your personal brand is a powerhouse.

Investors, customers, business partners, and top talent don’t just invest in ideas; they invest in people - in you and the vision you represent.

You’ve spent years building a strong professional reputation offline. Now, it’s time to scale it online.

That’s where I come in.

I help CEOs, C-suite execs, and leaders like you build a strong personal brand online and scale your reputation on LinkedIn (and beyond), positioning you as the go-to person in your field.

"Gabi absolutely knows what she’s doing! Within just a month of partnering with Gabriele, we've seen a noticeable uptick in inbound leads and coffee meetings being scheduled. Her expertise in LinkedIn personal branding is unparalleled.”

- Alex Pavlou, CEO, NYC

”Gabi is an expert at building thought leadership on LinkedIn. She transformed my LinkedIn presence from day one, expertly aligning my personal brand strategy with impactful posts. Her deep understanding of communications, PR, branding, and LinkedIn dynamics is unmatched.”

- Nicolas B., General Manager, GCC 

"Working with Gabriele is an absolute must for any business Leader looking to grow their personal brand on LinkedIn."

- Susanne Larsson, Executive advisor and former Big 4 Partner, CPH

Building your reputation behind closed doors is no longer enough. 

If you want to: 

- Build trust at scale
- Stand out in your field
- Get seen by the right people 
- Open doors to new opportunities 
- Be the go-to expert (even when you’re not in the room)

Then, you need to build authority at scale. 

In business, it’s not only about who you know. It’s about who knows and trusts you. 

If that’s of interest to you, you’re in the right place. 

I work with CEOs, C-suite execs, and leaders across all stages of their career, from leading companies to expanding to a portfolio career, transitioning from corporate to investor (and more).

There are 2 ways I help Leaders scale their reputation on LinkedIn: 

1. one-on-one coaching (LinkedIn personal branding)
2. I create content for you to scale your reputation on LinkedIn (and beyond)

Send me a DM if you want to get the details.

Client centric focused team Leader responsible and accountable for the growth and sales at VF!. We have specialize in the Alcohol space for 18 years, diversifying our business in the past two years into new verticals, new clients and new partnerships. Specialist is solving commercial challenges, with bespoke BTL POS through insights, design and operational excellence locally, in Africa and globally.

BTL Marketing Agency, Growth and Sales Director

VF! is a BTL marketing agency who designs and manufactures innovative retail display solutions.  We are fascinated with understanding what makes people tick and how we can ensure that brands win at the moment of choice. We seek to shape how consumers & shoppers behave and purchase. We are fascinated with driving a deeper understanding of what makes people tick and what makes them decide to choose one brand over the other. Privileged to work with some of the world’s leading brands we unpack behavioral science and use it to create compelling approaches for brands to win at the Moment of Choice.

BTL Marketing Agency, General Manager

Huizemark

Charles is a seasoned Retail Executive with over 30 years of local and international experience. He has developed strong skills in relationship-building, negotiation, and property management. His experience in managing company property portfolios, indicates his proficiency in handling complex real estate transactions and ensuring that the clients’ properties are effectively managed for optimal returns.
Charles is focused on the wider Pretoria area, with special interest in Midstream, Centurion and Midrand, demonstrating his commitment to serving his community and helping individuals and businesses find their ideal properties. His passion for property sales and people show he's dedicated to understanding his clients' needs and preferences, then matching them with suitable homes or business premises. This combination of experience, passion, and customer-centric approach positions Charles as an asset to Huizemark and its clients.

Property Professional (Candidate)

Bespoke-Trends(PTY)Ltd

Consultation work at Office National, DotActiv, Alpha-Sights and McKinsey in Dubai  on retail transformation and change management. Selling extensive catalogue of corporate clothing and launching the Charles Walters Bespoke, locally tailored comfort formal shirts and golfers ranges, available at www.bespoketrends.com Established retail platform, with WordPress.  Driving sales through promotional activity, using Google and other analytical tools. Ensuring customer satisfaction, basket size and repeat business.

General Manager

DotActiv

Increase your sales revenue and outperform your competition with DotActiv's cutting-edge technology and unrivalled services. Visit www.dotactiv.com and book free consultation on how they can grow your business.

Operations Executive

PNA Stationers (Pty) Ltd

Leading the National Operations department with the key focus on: 1  Setting up of operational support functions and structures on national and regional levels through all facets of the business.   2.  Supplying all services as required from the company as well as the Franchisees.  3.  Supplying support and managing of all regions. 4.  Establishing streamlined support functions to all departments at the Franchisor. 5.  Set UP renewed Franchisee Communications platforms  6.  Set UP renewed Training platform for store staff. 7.  New business development in terms of new stores. 8. Land Lord negotiations, finding and securing new locations. 9. Project management as we open new store and revamp existing stores.

Alshaya Group

Based in Riyadh looking after 14 stores across Saudi Arabia. Responsible for 12,000 m2 of retail space with 14 Direct Reporting General Managers and 224 Specialists. Worked for the Williams Sonoma Group looking after operations for Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids and West Elm in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam. Focused on Financial management, recruitment and customer service training. Achievements:
One was Completed 6 months of nationalization with extreme success at 95% Saudi Nationals

Senior Operations Manager - West elm & Pottery Barn

Edcon

Responsible for the trade plan in Namibia, Botswana, Zambia and Ghana for Edgars. Traveled across Africa visiting stores, engaging customers and staff to optimize product assortments and react on missed opportunities. With-in budgets we did catalogue extensions and discontinued selected ranges to best serve the local customers. In a short time we had a major impact on the region creating growth and profitability. There are many missed opportunities in Africa.

Edgars Trading Manager - Africa

Opened the Edgars Mall of Africa with massive opening and success, catapulting the store to ranking no 4 in the company based on turnover with-in the first year of trade.  The store kept growing and setting the trend in the Edgars space with strong marketing and visual merchandising plan. With over 14 managers and 200 staff we were the longest hour of trading store in the company. Won many sales, visual and financial service prizes driving service excellence and  the customer experience.

Senior Store Manager

Stores: 11 from Grahamstown to Kokstad
Size: 6,500 m2 location in Hemingways (26,000 m2 total)
Direct Reports: 11 Store Managers and 150 Permanent Staff
Annual Sales: R300 million

Day-to-Day:
•	Recruitment, vetting of staff, stock management and P&L responsibility 

Achievements:
•	Promotion of 10 out of 11 store managers within the year
•	Reducing stock take by half
•	Honoured as Financial Service Champion for the division achieving the #1 loyalty region in the Edgars chain

Regional Operations Manager

Woolworths

Stores: 1
Size: 2,440 m2
Direct Reports: 10 Managers and 110 total staff
Annual Sales: R163 million

Achievements:
•	Grew business by 34% with catalogue expansion and service standards while managing R100 million food market and R80 million clothing store
•	Implemented stock loss management procedures
•	Mentored 4 managers who saw promotions and advancement

Store Manager (FMCG, Clothing, Home & Beauty)

Stores: National
Size: 35,000 m2 of product space
Direct Reports: 212 Product Champions
Annual Sales: R1.2 billion

Day-to-Day:
•	Sales, targeted marketing promotions, strategic workshops and fluent communications

Achievements:
•	Transformed the business strategy into a selling strategy analysing store format, size and location for new store openings and modernisations
•	Simplified merchandising complexities to achieve KPIs on profit-per-square-meter, top-line sales and departmental profits
•	Served on the Diversity Committee providing training and professional development opportunities 
•	Launched seasons around the country through successful road shows and model stores

National Sales Manager - Menswear

Stores: National
Size: 27,000 m2 of product space
Direct Reports: 200 Product Champions
Annual Sales: R850 million

Day-to-Day:
•	Sales, targeted marketing promotions, strategic workshops and fluent communications

Achievements:
•	Transformed the buying strategy into a selling strategy analysing store format, size and location to apply to new store openings and modernisations
•	Launched the seasons around the country through successful road shows and model stores

National Sales Manager - Womens footwear & Accessories

I was brought from Edgars Eastgate to re-vamp Edgars V&A Waterfront in Cape Town in 8 months.; we added 1800 square meters to the store doubling it in trading space. Growing the business by 8% during re-vamp.

We added Kids, Infants and Boardmans (home wear) departments on the new level and 12 new cosmetic businesses in the new world-class cosmetic department at the front entrance. We grew the business with 54% in the first year. 

The V&A Waterfront with all its challenges is still growing in line with chain growth and very profitable. We trade 84 hours per week with a Management team of 10 and staff compliment of 66 plus casuals. I focus most of our time on Management training and providing exceptional customer service.

Store Manager

Responsible for producing accurate figures for Management to make business dissensions. I facilitate communication between the store and the merchant division, impacting on each business unit contributing to a turn-around of the Store form negative sales to positive sales growth. I also Managed the Store on weekends focusing on customer service.

Logistics Manager

Responsible for 3 Regional Managers running 39 Shoes Stores. Stores located across South Africa. Starting this new business and setting basic corporate governance with key focus on people development, profit and asset management.

Divisional Operations Manager

Responsible for total Business, reporting to CEO. Special focus on 
down sizing (making a profitable frame work i.e. salaries &amp; rentals), risk management, in Stock, assortments and expense controls.

Project Manager

I have a 35 year career in leadership and retail management for most major retailers in South Africa and the Middle East. Throughout my career, I have been consistently promoted after having achieved successful operational improvements while developing essential teams. Through coaching, mentoring, and training, I have been able to instill best practices related to sales and customer service in order to drive retention and revenue. 

Currently the Growth and Sales Director at VF Exclamation, (VF!) based in Gauteng with second head office in Cape Town after being the GM for the past years. We have extensive Local and International client base changing the way shoppers behave in on trade and off trade spaces. 

Previously owner of Bespoke Trends where we specialise in Retail Consulting and suppling companies with corporate uniforms. I also have my own formal shirt brand Charles Walters Bespoke, launched in 2020, of locally tailored formal shirts available online. With my extensive geographical local experience and retail network I have worked in the Real Estate market as Team Leader and Property Professional joining the Huizemark team.

I worked as Operations Executive at PNA Stationers South Africa in 2021 - 2023, responsible for 123 stores owned by 23 families. I also served as Senior Operations Manager for Alshaya in 2018 - 2020, where I did oversee 14 stores in Saudi Arabia. My operation covered Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, and West Elm in Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dammam extends to accurate financial management, effective recruitment, and superior customer service. 

My expertise in retail management has allowed me to improve under-performing stores while also establishing effective procedural updates to new store openings. I ensure strict KPI's as well as effective measures for stock management through complex data analysis and reporting. I look forward to implementing my proven strategies and learning new ways of working in these challenging times with new teams.

taplio

The Battle

Gabriele Grikstaite

Charles Walters (MBA)

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