As a lifelong competitive athlete, Viktoria Lager has internalized a crucial message from her coaches: “If you surround yourself with people who are better than you, you will only become stronger and better.”
That lesson has been proven true in her experience at Tapestry, where today she works as the senior manager of financial planning and analysis for global brand consolidation and gross margin on the Coach team.
Inside Tapestry
Tapestry is a global house of brands, including Coach, Kate Spade and Stuart Weitzman, dedicated to inspiring individuality and innovation through craftsmanship and a commitment to inclusivity.
“At Tapestry, you’re surrounded by diverse, intelligent leaders and mentors from all kinds of career backgrounds,” Lager said. “It is a great privilege to be able to work with colleagues who can provide fresh perspectives, as this pushes you to think and question differently.”
Lager’s colleagues are more than just valuable for her own growth; they’re at the heart of Tapestry’s success.
“A company’s greatest asset is its people,” she said. “There’s unmatched value in employees who have lived through the history of the company. Tapestry’s leadership and talent teams recognize this by fostering growth and encouraging new opportunities.”
For Lager, Tapestry isn’t just a workplace, it’s a community. Over the years, she has cultivated meaningful, long-lasting relationships with colleagues, which have been both personally and professionally enriching.
“These bonds have led to new opportunities within the organization and have even extended into my personal life. I believe the people you enjoy spending time with make you not only happier but also more productive,” she said.
Lager’s time at Tapestry is a shining example of how growth can inspire employees to thrive, both personally and professionally — and it’s far from over.
“You can never stop growing; there’s always more to see and experience,” she explained.
Built In heard more about how Tapestry has supported Lager’s journey so far and what she is excited for next.
What has your career journey been like so far?
I started my career as a financial analyst at a small food and beverage company with 50 employees, which provided the perfect foundation for my career in financial planning and analysis. It gave me exposure to how the day-to-day cohesion across teams directly impacts product success, customer satisfaction and overall business health.
Eager to expand my horizons, I sought opportunities in larger organizations for growth and joined Coach in 2018 as an analyst on the global gross margin team. This role gave me my first look at global business scale, where I focused on analyzing and preparing gross margin forecasts for Asia and Europe business units. I then transitioned to the global selling, general and administration team, managing daily budget processes for global marketing and creative departments. My scope expanded as I took ownership of the total Coach global unallocated and licensing profit and loss segments and became the finance partner for Coachtopia’s launch.
Today, as senior FP&A manager for global brand consolidation and gross margin, I manage the total Coach brand P&L and gross margin, overseeing all the financial aspects that drive Coach’s global performance. Essentially, I get to put together all the pieces of the financial puzzle that is Coach.
“I get to put together all the pieces of the financial puzzle that is Coach.”
So far in my career, I’ve tackled and dove deep into the FP&A of all different areas of the Coach P&L and within different business units, but I’m super excited to take and dig more into a strategic angle in the future. This includes working closer with new business partners on the Tapestry side, diving deeper into why we do what we do and what ultimately drives our decision-making.
We are also very excited at Coach to continue to expand our food and beverage offerings globally, with many new door openings planned throughout the next fiscal year. I am super excited to also be the global business and finance partner as part of this process and work very closely with our newest vice president of hospitality. This is extra close and connected to my heart because it feels as if I am merging the two industries that I’ve spent my career in and things are coming full circle.
How does working for Tapestry help you make progress toward your career goals?
I knew early on that I wanted to build a career and work someplace where I’ve felt that I am truly making a difference, with a direct impact on the people around me and the outcome of the company. Being at Tapestry and having the privilege to work so closely with senior leadership has allowed me to steadily build confidence through the years and to truly find my voice, which as a result has led me to continue to build lasting relationships and progress upward.
“Being at Tapestry and having the privilege to work so closely with senior leadership has allowed me to steadily build confidence through the years and to truly find my voice.”
The past six and a half years at Tapestry really have been pivotal years. Professionally, I’ve grown in many ways from my start as an FP&A analyst to a senior manager with my own direct reports of analysts along the way.
During this journey, I have learned how to lead meetings and professionally articulate the message that I want to deliver, especially when that message might not always be good news or what my audience wants to hear. I’ve also learned how to adjust my messaging based on my audience, which can vary greatly.
With my experience, I’ve also improved upon the skill of prioritizing deliverables by not being afraid to question deliverables that are not as “value-add” as others.
I’ve adapted the skill of accepting that truly the only constant we have is change, so we can’t be discouraged or frazzled if we need to adjust and switch gears at any moment. These are also skills that I have tried to especially demonstrate and pass down as a leader and manager to more junior employees.
What professional development tools and resources have you utilized?
A huge part of any growth and success that I have experienced in my career has been mentorship — both formal and informal, from being a mentee and then paying it forward to mentoring more junior members.
I believe our managers can be our best coaches, the biggest supporters and greatest advocates. They come with experience and a network that they can leverage and bring you into. They also see your potential and possible career opportunities that might be a great fit for you. Sometimes they even know you better than you know yourself!
I’ve been very fortunate to have managers who have recognized my strengths and curiosity, and where I need further exposure and experience. They’ve helped encourage and push me into taking on new challenges and opportunities that I otherwise might not have taken on.
