John Snow

Results-driven Project Delivery professional with over 14 years of experience delivering refurbishment, maintenance, fit-out and property improvement projects across retail, commercial, residential and public sector environments. Having progressed to Senior Designer and Design Team Leader, I have successfully led projects through the full lifecycle, from business case, planning and procurement to construction, handover and operational implementation, managing multidisciplinary teams, contractors, consultants and stakeholders to achieve successful outcomes. Experienced in project delivery, programme management, budget control, contract administration, risk management, governance and stakeholder engagement, with responsibility for projects valued up to £3m and the concurrent delivery of multiple projects, bids and rollout programmes with higher combined portfolio values.

Recognised for driving continuous improvement, business transformation and operational efficiency, consistently delivering projects safely, on time, within budget and to quality standards.

SENIOR STORE DESIGNER at WHSmith Travel (2022-02 – 2026-04)

• Delivered international retail rollout programmes valued between £50k and £3m, consistently achieving budget, programme, quality and stakeholder objectives across multiple regions.
• Managed project risks, programme schedules and resource capacity across concurrent airport, retail and hospitality projects, mitigating risks associated with tight deadlines, security requirements, compliance standards, stakeholder approvals and operational constraints, while escalating delivery issues and securing additional contractor support where required to maintain programme performance and on time delivery.
• Directed multidisciplinary teams across design, construction, project management and external consultants, ensuring commercially viable, buildable solutions while maintaining brand standards, operational efficiency and customer experience requirements.
• Implemented project governance, design assurance and technical standards that improved quality, reduced rework, increased drawing accuracy and accelerated delivery across multi-site programmes.
• Increased design productivity by 60%+ through the development of a cloud-based design management ecosystem, integrating CAD, rendering and asset libraries into a single platform for office-based and remote teams, improving collaboration, reducing technical issues and accelerating project delivery.
• Developed and mentored high-performing teams while leading digital transformation initiatives that increased delivery capacity, improved operational efficiency and supported business growth without proportional increases in overhead costs.
• Expanded WHSmith's hospitality and food service portfolio by introducing specialist café and restaurant design expertise, supporting the rollout of new airport and hospital concepts and creating new commercial growth opportunities.
• Led the optimisation of retail environments that achieved up to 30% increases in customer footfall and engagement through customer journey planning, store layout improvements, strategic merchandising, wayfinding solutions and customer-focused design enhancements.

DESIGN TEAM LEADER at Stangard Design Solutions Ltd (2012-02 – 2022-01)

• Progressed from Interior Designer to Senior Designer to Design Team Leader over a 10-year tenure, assuming increasing responsibility for project delivery, team leadership, stakeholder management, client engagement and business development.
• Increased client approval rates by 75%+ by introducing advanced 3D visualisation, VR technologies and immersive design presentations, fundamentally transforming client engagement and project win rates.
• Reduced bid preparation and lead-response times by 98% by replacing traditional hand-sketched concepts with digital visualisation workflows, significantly increasing studio productivity and accelerating new business acquisition.
• Led the delivery of hospitality, workplace and retail projects valued at £2m+, managing project scope, programmes, budgets, stakeholders and multidisciplinary teams to achieve commercial, operational and customer objectives.
• Increased space utilisation by up to 25% through strategic workplace planning and customer-focused design solutions that improved operational performance and user experience.
• Drove continuous improvement and business transformation initiatives by developing the company website, exhibition presence and digital marketing strategy, alongside implementing emerging technologies and streamlined ways of working that improved project delivery capability, strengthened market visibility, increased lead generation and supported long-term business development objectives.
• Built and led high-performing teams, implementing quality assurance processes, mentoring future leaders and enhancing project delivery capability, capacity planning and operational performance across the business.

FREELANCER at Jmsdesign (2009-03 – 2012-01)

• Founded and managed a design consultancy, delivering workplace, hospitality, retail and residential fit-out projects from concept to completion.
• Managed client relationships, technical design, procurement and stakeholder approvals, translating business requirements into commercially successful solutions.
• Coordinated contractors, installations and project handovers, resolving site issues and delivering projects on time, within budget and to specification.

BA Hons 2.2 in Interior Design – Glamorgan University (University of South Wales), Cardiff (2008 – 2011)

NVQ Level 2 in Painting & Decorating – Gordano Training, Bristol (2005 – 2018)

BTEC Level 2 in Public Services – Bath College, Bath (2003 – 2005)