Meet the Team - Maxyne Gagnon

Tell us a bit about yourself:
'Born and raised in Quebec City, Canada, I consider myself a true Canadian! Suffering from an addiction to maple syrup and an indisputable love for a double-double from Tim Hortons. I studied Microbiology and then moved to Fashion Design in my hometown before I started a degree in Fashion Merchandising at the Superior Fashion School of Montreal. Over the year, this gave me numerous experiences to travel in incredible places and learn new skills. After I got my diploma, I started working for a designer in Montreal. It’s this designer that offered me my first job in purchasing and helped me find what I really enjoyed doing. For a few years, I learned purchasing in a really fast and stressful environment – you know, the wonderful world of high fashion… - before I made the decision to move to England. Probably one of the most difficult decision that I took in my entire life, but I can say now, after four years in this country, that I would never move back to Canada – even for a Timmies.' 
 
Describe your role at RGE:
'My role at RGE is a bit of a challenging one, as it seems like every day there is a crisis to manage! My role has lots of different aspects that keep me busy - from managing key supplier relationships, to ensuring we get the best price and quality needed for our materials. I identify cost saving opportunities, whilst introducing strategic procurement activities into the business. I’m also responsible for sourcing the new and alternative materials required for our wide range of products. Like I said, there is always a lot going on in my patch as there are no small savings!'
 
How long have you worked at RGE?
'A massive… two weeks. Although it has been a short period of time, I feel like I have been in the business for months already!'
 
What is an interesting fact about yourself?
'I am a massive history fanatic. My mom was a history teacher, and my bedtime stories were about Christopher Columbus or Samuel de Champlain instead of Cinderella. Growing up, it’s something that I kept cultivating an interested in, and moving in Europe was a true fantasy for me. All the castles and the old cities made everything seems so rich compared to the relatively new country I came from. Selecting a favourite period right now seems really impossible… but I would say that the Sengoku, the Norse and French/English Medieval period is my go-to.'
 
What do you get up to when you are not working?
'I have so many different hobbies that I could talk for weeks about them! I am the definition of geek. From playing tabletop dungeon & dragons, doing role-play on forums to live action role playing, I am not afraid of letting my imagination go wild. I have written multiple quests, background for LARP in France and since I discovered this hobby, I can’t stop. If I am not deep into developing or writing the background of a game, I make a lot of costumes for those events for myself and my friends. From elaborated dress to intricated headpiece, I love sewing and crafting the most singular pieces. If I am not in front of my sewing machine or a word document, I am probably streaming video games on Twitch. I have been playing video games for over 25 years now, and that is not something I am planning on stopping anytime soon. I also like more normal things, such as dancing, cycling, cooking, etc…'
 
What is your favourite RGE product?
'The clever Standii. I think the design is sleek and convenient whilst responding to many useful needs.'