Diane Gounden is a highly motivated professional with 15 years of experience in the retail industry specializing in buying and brand management of premium cosmetics. She has held roles as a Brand Manager for various cosmetic brands and as a Specialist Buyer for prestige cosmetic brands at Edgars. Her experience includes responsibilities like negotiation, range building, pricing, sales projections, and identifying new markets. She has a professional education including a Merchandise Development Program and Leadership Development Programme.

1. Diane Gounden
29 Barbados Villas
Wisbeck Road, Mulbarton
Johannesburg, 2190
Telephone: 011 495 6090. Mobile: 082 676 3809. Email: dgounden@edcon.co.za
PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY
Highly motivated professional with 15 years’ experience in the retail industry, specialising in buying and brand
management of premium cosmetics.
BRAND MANAGER – DIRECT-TO-RETAIL COSMETICS
Victoria’s Secret, Inglot Cosmetics, Gosh Cosmetics 

BRAND MANAGER/SPECIALIST BUYER Apr’12 – Present

Identify international cosmetic brands to fulfill opportunities, through a direct relationship with Brand
Principals/Manufacturer. Manage & take accountability for the entire process from brand identification to
launch and ongoing growth of the brands within the portfolio. To co-ordinate with all internal & external
departments/stakeholders required to achieve the above mentioned objectives.
Responsibilities:
Negotiation Property l Projects Legal contracts l SLA
Range Building Pricing Competitor Analysis
Grid Selection Sales Projection Ordering
International travel Imports l shipping Presentations
Distribution l Logistics Stakeholder relationships Leadership
All of the Specialist Buying functions below
Skills/Expertise

Portfolio Development Brand Management Sales
Maximizing Sales Staff Development / Leadership Marketing Initiatives
Exceeding Targets Reporting and Business Analysis Negotiating
Competitor Analysis Financial Controls / Budgeting Presentations
Identifying New Markets Identifying Customer Needs Product Development

2. Previous Experience:
SPECIALIST BUYER – PRESTIGE COSMETICS EDGARS
Chanel, Dior, La Prairie, Dr Perricone, Shiseido, BPI Fragrances, Elizabeth Arden, Lifestyle Fragrances, Guerlain 

Premium Cosmetics Sep’10 – Apr’12


Responsible for developing product assortments using market trend analysis information as well as
managing sales and margins. Responsible for negotiations, inventory management, sales planning,
forecasting and close coordination with the suppliers, marketing and operations teams. Identify growth
opportunities and risks in assortment, and develop contingency plans. Relationship building, solid business
plans, including strong and detailed promotional programs. KPI’s include = Sales budgets, ROII, Gross
Profit, Gross Margin, Market Share
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE (Cont.)
Clinique, Givenchy, YSL, Clarins, Lancôme, La Mer, MAC, Orlane, Sensai, Diesel, Polo and Thierry Mugler
Premium Cosmetics Sep’05 – Sep’10
Edcon
Providing a balanced assortment of merchandise in order to meet sales budgets, ROII Targets, Gross Profit
and Gross Margin. Analysing the target market and trends to ensure the correct merchandise is in the
correct stores. Attending supplier previews to evaluate seasonal ranges and make selection in accordance
with target market requirements. Negotiating with suppliers daily to ensure that all business needs are
met (Prices, samples, promotions, marketing etc.). Potentialise business through Edcon Marketing – create
brand awareness, gain market share, pro-actively forecast and adapt to changes in the internal and
external business environment. This ensures that we are always one step ahead of the competition in this
fast paced aggressive and challenging environment.
PRODUCT CO-ORDINATOR, EDGARS E-COMMERCE Aug 00 – Apr 04
Edcon
Responsible for liaising with Marketing and merchants regarding promotions and products that needs to be
loaded onto the website. I create all buttons and banners for edgars.co.za. I request disks for all images
then deep edge, crop, optimize and save them for the web. I use a program called Adobe Photoshop to do
this. My main responsibility is to keep the cost per image as low as possible to save the
department/company money. My job also allows me to be very creative when making buttons and banners
for the website
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE (Cont.)
RETAIL ASSOCIATE May 99 – Aug 00
Edcon
Involved with servicing the customer and ensuring that all disciplines and sales targets within the
department were met

3. TRAINING COURSE
Merchandise Development Program: I have successfully completed MDP in 2005 which included numerous
training courses: Negotiation Skills, Interpersonal Skills, Revolutionary Thinking, Stress Management,
Reporting, Market Orientation, Supply Chain Management, Relationship Management and Problem Solving
& Decision Making
Leadership Development Programme: I have successfully completed LDP in 2011 which is designed to up-
skill and prepare candidates for a leadership role.
Training courses: Emotional Intelligence, Self Mastery, Professional Communication, Building Workplace
Relationships and Innovation & Lateral Thinking, Change Management, Diversity
EDUCATION
Institution: M L Sultan Secondary School
Highest grade passed: Grade 12
Subjects:
ENGLISH HG
AFRIKAANS HG
MATHEMATICS SG
BIOLOGY HG
ACCOUNTING HG
ART HG
REFERENCES
Angela Corder EXECUTIVE BUYING MANAGER - COSMETICS
Cell: 0766962274
Email: acorder@edcon.co.za
Julie Maggs EXECUTIVE BUYING MANAGER - COSMETICS
Telephone: 011 495 6390
Cell: 0825689708
Email: jmaggs@edcon.co.za
PERSONAL
Interests and Pastimes: Sport, reading, movies
Born: 1979.
Mobility: SA Drivers Licence Code B.