Careers in retail: live Q&A

You could be forgiven for thinking that careers in retail mostly revolve around the activity you see in the shops, such as stacking shelves, operating tills and dressing windows.

But behind the scenes there's a hive of activity, opening up a whole range of career options in retail. From commercial buying that could take you anywhere in the world, to developing innovative responses to customer needs and sector trends, there is a wealth of opportunity.

Nor is it just the variety of roles that attract graduates. Retail is a great industry for developing management skills; often those who work in retail are in charge of large, cross-discipline teams at a much earlier stage in their career compared to other sectors. Skills such as leadership, innovation and a strong grasp of commercial principles are particularly desired and graduates hoping to develop these may well look to the sector to help them.

But all this choice can be daunting: it's difficult to know what the right role for you could be, what will be expected of you and how to get there. With this in mind, supported by our sponsors Kingfisher and B&Q, we've got together a panel of experts to help discuss all things retail. The topics up for discussion include:

Career options in retail

The skills/experience needed to become a leader in the sector

Ways to kickstart your career in retail

Key trends in the sector and how to adapt to these

There are loads of ways to get involved. You can create a Guardian member's account, which will let you post questions and comments in the Q&A, or alternatively you can sign in to the discussion using your Facebook or Twitter profiles. We'll also be tweeting during the Q&A and you can email questions anonymously to Kate Hodge.

Our panel

Graham Dunster is regional manager at B&Q, and has 19 years' experience in single and multi-site management in the food, non-food and DIY sectors. He is currently responsible for a million-square foot of retail space in South London.

Mhairi Buckley looks after group talent at Kingfisher plc, and has worked in a broad spectrum of talent roles for more than 18 years. She has a keen interest in working with businesses to ensure they attract, retain and support their future and current talent.

Richard Cuthbertson is research director at the Oxford Institute of Retail Management, part of the Said Business School at the University of Oxford. His research focuses on the interactions between customers, technology and the firm, as well as their influence on society, culture, politics and global development.

Dr Jonathan Elms is a senior lecturer in retailing at the Institute for Retail Studies, University of Stirling. He is also the programme director of the University of Stirling's BA (Hons) retail marketing degree, both in the UK and in Singapore.

Alison Phillips is graduate programme manager for B&Q. She runs the two year retail graduate programme, involving a number of store management placements and a structured development programme.

Cathy Parker is the professor of marketing and retail enterprise at Manchester Metropolitan University, and director of the Institute of Place Management. She is also visiting professor of marketing at Glamorgan Business School. Cathy has been involved in a number of retail and retail-related projects looking at skill needs in the independent retail sector and has experience with larger retailers, leading the development of the first foundation degree in retail.
Twitter: @placemanagement

Matt Fairclough is unit manager at B&Q, having joined 13 years ago on the company's graduate scheme. He runs one of B&Q's most high-profile warehouse stores and has an extensive knowledge of how the business operates.

Charmain Gyles-Ferguson is a senior recruitment consultant in the fashion retail division for Handle Recruitment. She has more than ten years' expertise in consulting, advising and recruiting for luxury and premium brands in the fashion and retail sectors.

John Eldred is the principal lecturer for the business school at Kingston University. He is also the director of the M.Sc in retail management and marketing, and works in retail research and consultancy in the UK, Europe and America.

Emma Cox leads the learning and development function at Waterstones. The team focus on providing career and personal development opportunities for employees. They split their time between developing the skills and knowledge that people need to be successful in their current role and developing those individuals that have the potential to progress along the career pathway.

Steven Prime is a recent regional winner of the BFA HSBC Franchisee of the Year Awards 2012. He opened his Esquires Coffee House in Coventry Transport Museum in 2008, aged 22.

This content is brought to you by Guardian Careers in association with Kingfisher and B&Q. Produced by Guardian Professional to a brief agreed with Kingfisher and B&Q. Paid for by Kingfisher and B&Q. All editorial controlled and overseen by the Guardian.