The Team
A team of ex Amazonians and Amazon experts
We are a team of ex Amazonians and Amazon experts from North America and Europe. We have expertise in vendor and seller management, marketing, copywriting, advertising and catalogue and product management.
We have been working with Amazon since 2004. These were pre-Vendor Central and Seller Central days! We have evolved with Amazon, developing skill sets and knowledge to help sellers and vendors be successful on Amazon.
Meet the team...
Carina McLeod
Managing Director and Consultant
I started my career in buying, working for a chain of bricks and mortar stores in the UK. An opportunity to work for Amazon came up in 2004, and what felt like a risky move at that time, was the best step I took. I spent over 7 years working for Amazon UK in vendor management, working across multiple product categories including Home & Garden, Personal Care, Sports & Fitness and Clothing. During my time at Amazon, I launched Sports and Clothing into the UK market, developed the graduate scheme for Vendor Managers and was part of the project of moving a number of admin tasks over from the retail teams to the vendor support team in India, this included travelling to Chennai to support them through the transition. I even remember the launch of Vendor Central… now I am showing my age!
After taking a supposed career break to see the world, I never returned. Instead I ended up settling permanently in Costa Rica and in 2013 I started to freelance for vendors and sellers, helping them understand how to become successful on Amazon. With the rapidly increasing demand for my services, I then set up my own consulting company eCommerce Nurse, where we have grown from strength to strength, helping our clients grow their seller and vendor business on Amazon. Then, in 2018 I launched Vendor Society, a subscription website that provides vendors learning materials, resources and strategies to maximize their sales potential on Amazon.
When I am not working, I am usually hiking or running up a mountain, at the gym pushing my body to its limits or off on an adventure with my daughter and husband. I love travelling, showing my daughter new things and exploring the beauty of what this world has to offer. I am often flying back and forth to the UK to be with family and friends and indulge in being British!
Dani Thompson
Client Manager
I’ve worked in Marketing ever since I graduated from university. I became mesmerised during an exchange program with a University in America. Very early on, I set my eyes on working for Amazon, I was in awe of what Jeff Bezos wanted to and already was achieving and most importantly how he valued his customers.
During my time at Amazon, I launched many new categories into the Home & Garden department, as the lead site merchandiser. Working regularly with over 200 vendors, I convinced my peers to start running the now bi-annual vendor conference to teach vendors how to optimise their presence on Amazon.
I also worked with the PR team to launch the annual Christmas in July press show. I would regularly represent Home & Garden in cross site promotions/emails and ensure my vendors had good coverage. Also planning directly with vendors to define their annual marketing calendar, partnering with internal teams and external suppliers to effectively build and manage promotions and marketing activities.
When I’m not being an eCommerce Nurse I’m spending time with my two kids and husband in our home town of Singapore. I love yoga, pilates, riding my Mary Poppins bike and I’ve just started to learn how to wakeboard. Sadly horse riding isn’t an option here. My true love is travel and showing my kids the world and so far this year we’ve done Batam, Bali, Rawa, Borneo, Cambodia, England and Austria but have a few more trips to book before the year its out!
Katy Luxem
Content Manager
Originally from Seattle, I received degrees in English and journalism from the University of Washington. I started working as an editor at Microsoft the same week I graduated, but I jumped at the opportunity to join Amazon in 2007. I enjoyed working on the Shoes and Clothing teams, where I handled onsite marketing, copywriting, homepage campaigns, emails, and anything pretty much anything else that came along (the teams were pretty small back then!) In 2008, I moved to London to work in softlines for Amazon.co.uk. After returning to Seattle in 2011, I began freelancing as a writer and editor.
I also returned to Amazon in Seattle to work on the Gift Cards team in 2014. Since 2016, I have focused on freelancing–specifically, helping businesses succeed and grow with next-level online content.
I currently live in Salt Lake City, Utah, with my husband, three kids, and chocolate lab. I enjoy traveling (especially visiting National Parks), playing roller derby, reading, skiing, seeing live music, and collecting Fiestaware. Of course, I also cheer for the Seattle Seahawks and Mariners.
Mark Pettit
Ads Manager
My role in the sponsored ad division is to help both vendors and sellers make their ASINs more discoverable on Amazon in order to sell more. I spent 3 years working at Amazon Media Group in London, working with brands across the Home category in addition to the Beers, Wines and Spirits sector. I was part of the small team that launched Amazon Marketing Services into five European markets.
In my spare time, I can be found discovering new cities in Europe and learning to the play the Saxophone.
Sharon McLeod
Office Manager
Working for an international children’s charity for over 30 years, I was privileged to travel extensively in Africa and Asia. I met amazing children and communities who welcomed me enthusiastically and proudly showed me their progress. My experiences made me passionate about the charity’s work and gave me the motivation to work in various roles across the organisation.
I held a number of senior management positions where responsible finance and administration management was critical to the success of the organisation. I directed a large supporter and finance team where excellent customer service was at the heart of every action for both the supporters and the children we served.
Inspired by the need to share the charity’s work with others, I created and set up an Ambassador scheme. After recruiting and training ambassadors across the UK, I provided them with leadership and direction to enable them to become a voice for the charity and recruit new supporters and fundraisers.
Since my retirement I became the keynote speaker at celebratory supporter events held in magnificent historic buildings. I enjoy walking, organizing Girl’s Night Out events for a ladies group and learning to grow my own fruit and vegetables. Needless to say, I love it when our Costa Rican family visit my husband and I in the UK, especially when my little granddaughter helps me harvest the results of my hard work.