Laura Davies exits ZigZag for customer success role at RTIH Innovation Awards winner WAIR
WAIR, which builds autonomous digital employees for inventory management in the lifestyle industry, has appointed Laura Davies as Director of Customer Success.
She joins from ZigZag where she spent just over five years, most recently serving as Director of Client Services. Her CV also includes a lengthy run at URBN.
In a LinkedIn post, she said: "Today I start a new chapter with WAIR, and it feels like everything has come full circle. Back in 2007 I was allocating stock from spreadsheets while Oxford Street was drowning in white plimsolls…Urban Outfitters was exploding. We couldn’t buy stock fast enough. We couldn’t get it into stores fast enough. And most stores barely had space to hold a week of anything."
"Meanwhile, on Oxford Street, the store manager (my future husband, although neither of us knew it yet) was battling the mountains of white plimsolls I kept sending him. He would call me down multiple times a week to show me the chaos. Stock room, staff room, fitting rooms, back office. Plimsolls everywhere.”
She added: "Looking back, maybe that is why we didn't get together until years later. He probably needed time to recover from the allocation trauma. The truth is that back then we were allocating from spreadsheets with very basic systems.”
“We were always looking backwards at past sales and relying heavily on gut feel. There was no prediction to guide us and no real way to get ahead of demand. Which is why joining WAIR feels like such a strong fit. It is building what I wish we had in 2007.”
“Intelligent, AI driven allocation that predicts demand before it happens and gives merchandisers the power to make faster, smarter decisions while taking some of the pressure off stores and supply chains that are working flat out. If we had WAIR back then, staff might have actually eaten their lunch without the smell of rubber soles for company, and my husband and I might have got together a lot sooner."
2025 RTIH INNOVATION AWARDS
AI was a key focus area at the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards.
We received a record number of entries and many fantastic examples of the continued resilience and dynamism of the retail space during hugely challenging times.
For a full rundown of all of the shortlisted entries, click here.
Our 2025 hall of fame entrants were revealed during a sold out event which took place at The HAC in Central London on 16th October and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by award winning comedian, actress and writer Tiff Stevenson.
In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “This is the awards’ fifth year as a physical event. We started off with just 30 people at the South Place Hotel not far from here, then moved to London Bridge Hotel, then The Barbican, and last year RIBA’s HQ in the West End.”
“But I’m conscious of the fact that, to quote the legend that is Taylor Swift, You’re only as hot as your last hit, baby. So, this year we’ve moved to our biggest venue yet, and also pulled in our largest number of entries to date and broken attendance records.”
He added: “This year’s submissions have without doubt been our best yet. To quote one of the judges: The examples of innovative developments across both traditional and digital retail spaces were truly remarkable.”
Congratulations to our winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Tiff Stevenson, and all those who attended our 2025 gathering.
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