Karen Platt─leveraging learnings in technology and customer experience to build a sustainable women’s clothing label
February 23, 2021 • 3 Minute Read
Karen Platt
Co-Founder
One P Design
Are you looking for someone with deep technology roots that is using this experience to re-invent women’s business fashion? We know the person—Karen Platt!
Karen Platt was a 20-year leader in the technology market in Australia with her last role leading Customer Experience and Innovation at Optus Business (a Singtel company), one of Australia’s leading telecommunications companies.
Following the birth of her daughter in 2016, Karen left her role to develop a women’s clothing label (One P Design), solving what time-poor women wear to work, whilst bringing together natural fibre fabrication and local manufacturing to ensure an ethical and sustainable model. While she has deep B2B experience, she is adapting it to the B2C world! Karen also consults in customer experience and innovation, is a Chair for the Generous and the Grateful and serves as Macquarie University Incubator, Expert in Residence supporting starts ups, researchers and students in ensuring they build products and solutions centred around customer needs.
Please meet this IT Wondrous Women™, Karen Platt!
Our 10 Questions for this IT Wondrous Woman.
Fun Facts
1. What’s the one thing about you that your business colleagues don’t know about you?
I was a volunteer Fire Fighter for 6 years with the New South Wales Rural Fire Service (Australia).
2. Before the pandemic, how many air miles/KMs did you flying annually?
Although I have clients all over Australia, I rely on video conferencing for much of my work.
3. What is the most adventurous food you have eaten and what city/location did you eat it?
I am not at all adventurous when it comes to food – I am funny about textures! But I did try Guinea Pig in Peru.
Your Career
4. What are the top two experiences, achievements or failures that shaped your journey as a successful leader?
Launching my own start up would have to be up there, it is scary and thrilling at the same time. To be here after 2 years and growing is exciting. It is the first role I have had in a long time without a team of skilled people and the transition to doing everything myself has been hard but a good learning curve.
I also love balancing my own business with supporting other businesses, so my role at Macquarie University Incubator during COVID has been amazing, helping many start-ups pivot to new customer needs.
5. Did you have a mentor in the early part of your career and, if so, what is the biggest lesson you learned from your mentor or influencer?
I have had many mentors, each sharing different lessons from empathic leadership behaviours, building high performance team culture, managing my own energy levels and transitioning to a new career approach. My fondest memory is of Carol Chris helping me reduce my approval dependency in my early days at Optus Business.
Walking In Your Shoes
6. What is one piece of business or career advice you would give to your younger self?
Get out of the way of bullies quickly as opposed to trying alone to resolve the problems created.
7. As a leader, how do you remain a resource for people early in their careers?
I have always mentored in formal and informal ways be that high school students, new leaders or new business owners - and I learn something from every session.
Today’s Business Environment
8. What is the most interesting project you have worked on in the last few years?
Launching my own fashion label. I was never interested in fashion but had the opportunity to create a brand with a trusted friend and ex colleague.
I am driven by our purpose to give women back time, solving what to wear to work for women just like me.
I love the challenge of managing all the moving parts of the business. We took the plunge and launched our retail presence in June 2020 in the midst of COVID too.
Being Australian Made and only using natural fibres is really resonating post COVID, so we are leveraging the changes in consumer behaviour and more affordable rent in a challenging economy.
9. What skills are you currently developing or refining (in yourself) that will make you a more successful leader in the digital economy?
Learning how to digitally market our business in a B2C world, having always been in B2B.
10. What is your greatest business challenge today?
Juggling investment needs with growth speed. Having boot strapped the business, we can only grow at the speed of our cash flow. It’s a fine dance between investing wisely and constantly testing new products or ways of doing business. Not to mention doing this in times of COVID and a recession. This is outweighed by the flexibility of running our own business and controlling our own destiny.
