Curriculum Vitae

Nicole Chisholm

International project and operations leader with 15+ years of experience delivering expansion, business transformation and strategic initiatives across retail, education and commercial environments. Eight years based in Hong Kong, with cross-border project experience across APAC, North America and Europe.

Core capabilities

End-to-End Project Management
International Expansion
Strategic Projects
Cross-Functional Leadership
Budget & Cost Management
Lease, Vendor & Contract Negotiation
Stakeholder Management
Process Improvement
KPI & Performance Reporting
Change Management
Programme Governance
Multi-Market Operations

Professional experience

Project Manager - Global Expansion

Cullen Jewellery | Melbourne, Australia

Jun 2024 - Jul 2026

Led end-to-end delivery of 11 retail development projects across Australia, New Zealand, the UK, USA and Canada.
Managed site acquisition, commercial lease negotiations, design development, fit-out, operational readiness and launch.
Conducted market research, demographic analysis and site evaluations to inform market prioritisation and retail location selection.
Aligned Retail, Marketing, Procurement, Finance, Architecture, landlords, consultants and contractors to manage dependencies and reduce delivery risk.
Developed a global expansion playbook standardising stakeholder engagement, vendor management and scalable showroom delivery.
Achieved a 95% internal stakeholder satisfaction score across showroom development projects.

Project Manager - Special Projects

Higher Ground Education | Hong Kong

Mar 2023 - Oct 2023

Established the company's inaugural school in Bali, Indonesia, creating a temporary launch environment inside AYANA Resort & Spa.
Delivered the project from concept to operational launch in under three months, welcoming 110+ students in the first two months.
Exceeded enrolment targets by 33% and coordinated project teams across Hong Kong, China and Indonesia.
Directed a summer camp programme across China, Hong Kong and Indonesia enrolling 700+ students in five weeks.

Operations Manager

Higher Ground Education | Hong Kong

Oct 2021 - Feb 2023

Oversaw operational and strategic growth across six school campuses in Hong Kong.
Drove a 62.5% improvement in enrolments over four months through data-led process redesign.
Redesigned the end-to-end enrolment journey, improving conversion, customer experience and operational efficiency.
Launched Guidepost Family Club, leading operational setup, customer journey design and launch execution that drove a 77% increase in customer acquisition.

Project Manager - Education Programmes

MiniMinds | Hong Kong

Mar 2016 - Aug 2021

Managed end-to-end delivery of education programmes, coordinating scheduling, resource planning and educator operations.
Partnered with educators, parents and leadership to maintain consistent programme operations and high service standards.
Organised educator training workshops and supported structured programme implementation.

Talent Manager

Judy Inc. | Toronto, Canada

Mar 2015 - Mar 2016

Managed a roster of 90+ artists across Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, coordinating complex multi-city schedules.
Negotiated and closed contracts for endorsements, commercial and advertising engagements.

Talent Manager

Plutino Group | Toronto, Canada

Oct 2010 - Mar 2015

Managed schedules and project pipelines for 30+ fashion stylists and hair and makeup artists across Canada.
Negotiated short and long-term contracts while maintaining strong client relationships.
Led the company's 20th anniversary rebrand, including website relaunch, sponsorship acquisition and event logistics.

Education

Associate of Arts / Higher Diploma in Fashion Arts & Business

Humber College, Toronto, Canada | 2008 - 2010

Software Proficiency

Salesforce
Microsoft Office
Monday
Asana
Xero
Notion
Trello
Formstack
Canva
AI-assisted research, analysis and workflow development