FDM Consultants making an impact in retail  

Breaking into the tech industry after university can be challenging, especially in a tough job market. But for our consultants John and Rheanne, joining FDM provided the stepping stone to fantastic career opportunities. From backend engineering to change and communication, they now work across different areas of retail, helping businesses innovate and streamline their processes. 

Taking on real-world challenges  

Growing up, John always knew he wanted to be a backend engineer. Now, he’s living that dream—solving complex problems, optimising systems, and mentoring others along the way. 

“I built an AWS lander (microservice) to allow supply chain analysts to modify purchase orders, adjusting quantities or delivery slots. While it sounds simple, dealing with complexities at scale was an exciting challenge.” 

“My main responsibilities involve building suppliers, auditing, and providing a UI for suppliers to track their orders,” John explains. With a tech stack that includes Java, Spring Boot, Kafka, AWS, and MongoDB, he plays a key role in optimising processes behind the scenes. 

Growth, leadership, and mentorship 

Although John’s job title has remained the same, he’s taken on more responsibilities over time. Beyond coding, he has stepped up in various ways, maintaining and fixing bugs in the services he works on, delegating work to team members when necessary and acting as a buddy/mentor to new FDM Consultants joining the team. 

And if you’re looking for a fun fact? He once won the FDM Global Coding Challenge for the European region. 

Preparing for success 

For John, one of the key takeaways from FDM was learning how Agile and Scrum work in a simulated pod environment. “This experience was invaluable as a new graduate. It helped me transition from working on personal projects to being part of a professional, team-based environment.” 

360-degree talent solutions 

But backend engineering is just one way our consultants are making an impact in retail. Across the industry, they are driving transformation in different areas of business. Take Rheanne, for example, whose work in a luxury fashion house is helping teams embrace new technology, making their day-to-day work smoother and more efficient. 

Rheanne joined FDM as part of FDM’s Change & Transformation Practice. Her training provided her with essential skills, techniques, and methodologies that she actively applies in her current role. 

Overcoming challenges  

For almost two years, Rheanne has been working as a Change and Communications Consultant. Her responsibilities are diverse: from delivering training sessions to over 200 people to helping launch a legal management system that will be used globally. Every day presents new challenges. 

One stakeholder group was initially hesitant to adopt the new system. To address this, Rheanne spent a week training Super Users on-site and conducting team-focused workshops. The in-person interaction made a significant difference, turning the hesitant group into the most confident users of the system. 

Leading key projects 

One of the most intense yet rewarding projects Rheanne worked on was redesigning and launching a system MVP in just six weeks. She developed mock-ups, prototypes, and training materials for 200 legal professionals worldwide. 

Now, she is organising an event to mark the system’s first-year anniversary, bringing stakeholders together to celebrate the milestone. 

Leading with purpose and passion 

Since the launch of the system, Rheanne’s role has evolved to focus on training and adoption. She provides ongoing development training, serves as the first line of IT support, and creates training materials to help teams stay up-to-date. 

Reflecting on her time at FDM, Rheanne emphasises the importance of being yourself. “While your experience and skills open the door, it’s your ability to build relationships that truly matters. Every manager I’ve had has told me they chose me because they saw themselves enjoying working with me.” 

How FDM can support your business  

At FDM, we don’t just connect businesses with skilled consultants—we invest in developing future leaders. We’ve partnered with the world’s largest brands for over 30 years, allowing retailers to build multi-level teams of diverse technical talent.  

Consultants from our five practices are continuously supporting and transforming operations and achieving business goals within the retail industry. From optimising supply chains to driving digital transformation, our consultants bring expertise that delivers measurable impact. 

Find out how FDM Consultants helped a major coffee chain cut contractor costs by 35%. 

Ready to transform your organisation? Let’s talk shop.