Busi Buchan

Lead creative direction and artist-led product development, connecting design ideas with practical product outcomes.

Design and deliver skills development, product development and market-access programmes with artisan communities, independent artists and vocational training centres. Coordinate partners and makers across design development, materials, sampling and production support.

Built and operated a retail and wholesale business, managing stores in Brixton and London Fields, Hackney, alongside pop-ups and cultural markets. Coordinated international sourcing, logistics, pricing, merchandising and day-to-day retail operations.

Managed the full sales cycle for retail clients, from business development and platform demonstrations through to retailer onboarding. Worked with product and technical teams to translate client requirements into practical digital solutions.

Developed partnerships across hospitality, leisure and retail during an early period of business growth. Combined new business development with account growth and campaign optimisation, regularly exceeding revenue targets.

Supported restaurant partners through relationship management, platform training and product adoption, with a focus on engagement and retention. Identified upsell and new business opportunities and collaborated with UK and US product teams on feature localisation.

Acquired restaurant clients and guided them through onboarding and platform training. Conducted competitor and market analysis to inform sales activity and customer conversations.

Delivered live presentation, interviews and content, building strong verbal communication and audience engagement skills.

Progressed from intern to senior account-level responsibilities, supporting client relationships, campaign development and strategy.

Lead a programme supporting women-led craft and design businesses to strengthen their readiness for international markets. Cover product standards, export pricing and costing, production consistency, scalability, digital visibility and buyer engagement.

Activities and societies: International student research grant; established a dye garden at the University of East London.

BA (Hons) Fashion & Textiles. Awarded an international student research grant for research in Japan and Peru, and established a dye garden at the university.

Postgraduate coursework in Digital Communication, part of an MSc programme partially completed.

BA in Marketing and Advertising Communication from AAA School, Cape Town.