"I'm passionate that leadership is for everyone!"

"I'm passionate that leadership is for everyone!" 

In light of Learning at Work Week, Zoe Stebbings, Leadership Development Programme Manager for UK/ROI Retail, tells us about her career journey to date and why she believes leadership is for everyone.

Tell us a little bit about your journey at Specsavers so far

"I’m Zoe, the Leadership Development Programme Manager for UK/ROI Retail. I’ve been with Specsavers for nearly 6 years, starting out as an L&D Business Partner for Retail mainly focusing on Management Development. I was later promoted to Management Development Manager where I led the delivery team and managed our accredited ILM programmes. Over time, the role has evolved—I've matrix-managed retail delivery, owned all management development content, and now I focus on the strategy side.

In my current role, I lead a team of four, and together we design, manage, and deliver development for our various retail teams, including programmes like our Retail Support Team (RST) Rising Talent initiative. We’re a small but mighty team, and there’s always lots going on!

Why did you join Specsavers?

I knew a few people already at Specsavers who spoke really highly of the culture—how it embraces curiosity, proactivity, and people who want to shape their own path. That really appealed to me, especially as I’d felt quite restricted in previous roles. I joined as a Business Partner in Retail L&D, focusing on management development—mainly through our 2020 roadshow... and then COVID hit. When I returned, I was still working in management development, but started to feel that itch for progression, especially as I’d come from a similar role in my last company. So, I went for a promotion and got it! Since then, my role has evolved pretty much every year. I’ve gone from having no formal leadership experience to leading teams of up to 25 in a matrix structure, and now lead a smaller, focused team of 3–5. It’s been a brilliant journey so far, full of variety, new connections, and real opportunities to shape the future of management and leadership development at Specsavers.

What gives you pride in your role?

The breadth of leadership and management development that we support; from compliance, all capability frameworks, VIP experiences and talent programmes. It’s great to see the levels of skills across the business and really support and challenge leaders in the retail environment as they’re key for landing, embedding initiatives and driving Specsavers business to new heights. I’m passionate that leadership is for everyone, so it’s been great to be able to shape the content and see the impacts we’re making to the business.

How has Specsavers supported your professional growth and development?

Specsavers really saw my passion and enthusiasm to grow and gave me the chance to do just that. I’d never led a team before stepping into the Management Development Manager role, but they took a chance on me. They recognised the transferable skills I brought—from project management to how I connect with people (including outside of work, where I used to chair a theatre society)—and trusted that I could learn and grow into the role. That kind of belief made all the difference. In my previous organisation, I’d hit a glass ceiling, but at Specsavers I’ve been given the freedom to be curious, explore, and develop as I go—and I’m so grateful for that.

What is an achievement you are particularly proud of during your time at Specsavers?

We launched the Management and Leadership Career Pathways because, until 2023, there was no capability framework or defined career path for this key population. Our team was the first to take this on, setting the direction that has since inspired a broader approach across the business for all colleagues. We started by reviewing the existing ILM-accredited offer, which wasn’t landing as effectively as hoped. So, we collaborated closely across multiple functions—HR, Clinical, Partner Development, Pathway, Operations, and key leadership forums including partner forums and manager chairs—to build a capability framework that genuinely reflects what leadership means at Specsavers. In the past year, we launched Level 1 and Level 2 of our ILM Assured programme—by Specsavers, for Specsavers—a tailored management development offer that gives leaders a formal seal of approval for their skills.

What’s really exciting is the quality assurance and reporting built into the programme, which gives us real insights into how managers are engaging with learning, embedding their knowledge, and applying new skills. So far, over 40% of our management population has taken part—an incredible uptake. Now, we’re scaling and growing the offer, and for the first time, we’re truly able to shine a light on this audience—understanding their strengths and how we can support their development into the future".