Conversations with Changemakers: Miya Knights
My short monthly interview sessions focus on an individual who is known to me, has a connection to fashion or retail, and who I personally admire. I could not think of an individual who I regard more highly than Miya Knights to showcase our inaugural interview…
Miya Knights is a technology expert, combining this with journalism, research and insight skills, who is currently Head of Industry Insight, Eagle Eye Solutions. Miya’s career has focused on the retail sector, she is a sought-after Industry event / Conference Speaker and is co-author of Omnichannel Retail and Amazon. Consistently ranked as one of the industry top ranked retail influencers, Miya has regularly appeared on BBC, ITN and Sky News.
How did we meet?
I briefly met Miya at the World Retail Congress, hosted in Rome in 2016. My initial impression was – wow, what a sassy, intelligent woman – and a technology expert, one of very few females in this sector. What happened some months later was somewhat surreal…I was running on the treadmill watching the early morning BBC News, and Miya happened to be on, being interviewed. Shocked, I fell off the treadmill – TWICE. Very embarrassed, I vowed to call Miya and insist we meet – this surely was a sign that we needed to become acquainted…
What is your current role?
I am currently the Head of Industry Insight at Eagle Eye Solutions. We develop and provide software that retailers use to market their products and services to their customers, with a focus on promotions, offers, rewards and loyalty schemes. Clients include John Lewis, Greggs, Tesco, Sainsburys, Morrisons and Waitrose. I manage content, content creation, content publication and strategic research for the company’s sales and marketing function.
I began working at Eagle Eye a couple of years ago to co-write a book with Tim Mason. Tim Mason is the CEO of Eagle Eye Solutions. Previously, Tim was a Managing Director at Sun Capital Partners and Chairman of Bonmarché Holdings plc from 2013 to 2015. Prior to that he was Deputy CEO at Tesco from 2010 to 2012. Throughout his career at Tesco, Tim was renowned for being in touch with the customer, and instrumental in the creation of some of Tesco’s most successful marketing initiatives including Clubcard, Express, Personal Finance and Tesco.com. Kogan Page successfully published our book, Omnichannel Retail: How to build winning stores in a digital world, last April.
How do you research and provide robust argument in the world of technology that is constantly evolving?
My focus is on retail and technology, and the intersection where they meet – which is the consumer. On the one hand, what matters in retail will never change, great product and customer service – after all, retail is the second oldest profession in the world…! However, what does change is the means of how consumers access what they want to buy and how they want to buy it. I identify the major trends and themes shaping these expectations and, of course, ensure that any supporting research is robust to work out what the strategic drivers are to back up my thinking.
How did you get to this point in your career?
I was born in Croydon; my parents were the second Windrush generation and came to the UK in the early 60’s. My parents were highly educated and, as an only child, there was a very large expectation for me to do well. I read English at Oxford University. As an only child, I read voraciously, which fuelled a natural talent for writing. After university, I started my career as a copywriter and very much enjoyed working with technology clients. That early exposure to the tech industry gave me my first break into journalism and I joined Computing Magazine. I also loved retail and had met a number of senior executives, whose attitude towards technology was, “I don’t what to know what that technology does, I just want to know what it does for my business”. Continuing to write, but on a freelance basis, Miya then worked for Computer Weekly and other trade and national titles. Miya also edited Retail Technology Magazine for 8 years before acquiring the title, which she continues to publish through her own company.
Prior to Miya’s role at Eagle Eye, Miya was Head of Global Technology Practice at Planet Retail. This role focused on managing primary quantitative database and qualitative technology research, content and advisory projects for multinational retail brands, merchants, agencies and IT suppliers. On the move from journalism to analysis, Miya adds, “I began to get offered more money for my opinion than I did for my editorial impartiality. But research is the fundamental capability that supports both.”
Who do you admire and why?
Helen Slaven was the CEO of Planet Retail and Retail Net Group. Helen was my boss at Planet Retail. Helen was extremely supportive and innovative in her thinking; she was open to different thinking and opportunities. Helen pushed me, she is an exceptional leader and I have much respect for her.
Another individual who I respect is Martha Lane Fox, businesswoman, philanthropist and public servant. Martha co-founded Last Minute during the dotcom boom of the early 2000s and has subsequently served on public service digital projects. She sits on the boards of Twitter, Donmar Warehouse and Chanel. In November 2019, Lane Fox was named as the most influential woman in Britain's digital sector from the past quarter of a century. Martha shows us what is possible and is a great role model.
What advice would you offer to a female wanting to secure a career in technology.
If you have a good idea, back this up with research and hard work so that you can answer any questions to prove its value and worth. You have every right to be fearless and refuse to take no for an answer. Shout load about your skills and search for opportunities. Recognise where your skills and passion lie.
Finally, if there’s one thing I’ve learned tracking the role tech plays in separating retail’s winners and losers, it is… Don’t rely on pre-existing structures – if it does not exist, the tools are there to go out and build it!
Share a secret….
“I live in West Sussex with my husband Dave. We built our own house – and have just about lived to tell the tale…!”