ASSOCIATE SPOTLIGHT SERIES: AN INTERVIEW WITH CINDY CAI
May 10, 2023
In our Associate Spotlight series, we are highlighting associates across the company who are shaping our community and who embody our Life at Centric philosophy every day.
Meet Cindy Cai, Director, Sourcing and Production, Kids at Centric Brands. In her Interview, she shares insights on how continuous learning, adapting to change and proactively supporting our customers has helped grow her career at Centric Brands and support business growth. Cindy is based in the Centric Brands Shanghai office.
Can you share how continuous learning has helped you grow throughout your career?
Centric Brands is a great organization that has allowed me to grow in my career. The leadership, atmosphere and focus on customer recognition inspired me to embrace this new opportunity as Director of Sourcing and Production, Kids. Throughout my seventeen-year career with Kids Headquarters, I have worked in many different subsidiaries to manage trading and domestic businesses. I have managed teams to support new accounts and adapted to changing environments. And I have had the privilege of building several new teams and opportunities from the ground up, which has broadened my work experience and increased my professional capacity.
What are your key job role responsibilities?
I am responsible for the global sourcing of products and the production for Kids/Kids Headquarters (except for Indian Subcontinent Countries of Bangladesh, India and Pakistan). Sourcing involves balancing the quality of products and raw materials required with the affordability under the conditions of social compliance required by different license holders.
How do your responsibilities support the Sourcing Transformation efforts?
My team transitioned from Li & Fung, where we primarily supported sourcing and production for Centric Brands. Since then, I have worked as a sourcing team member, taking on more responsibilities in project management.
Our team strives to continuously improve the margins by supporting the migration of sourcing activities to Asia, including taking over the direct business, purchase order creation and amendment, executing and managing vendor scorecard, and vendor/factory leverage and rationalization. I also work with the existing sourcing team to create a library of various brand requirements and coach the overseas merchandising and quality control teams and vendors to ensure industry standards. Persistence in learning through practice will help us stand firm in this fast-moving era.
Can you share something about a favorite hobby or particular interest?
One of my favorite hobbies is reading. I enjoy reading books from various genres, including fiction, non-fiction, and memoirs. Reading enhances my imagination and provides me with knowledge on different topics. Every book is a door to a new world that allows me to travel to other places without having to leave my home. I find it very relaxing to sit down with a good book after a long day and lose myself in a story.
