Kate Walmley and Zoe Rowswell

Tern co-founders Zoe Rowswell and Kate Walmsley have always worked in digital and retail. 

Kate is a CX strategist and digital leader and has held Global Director roles for New Look, Topshop and AKQA. Zoe specialises in ecommerce sales growth and operations and has held Director roles for Jimmy Choo and Urban Outfitters. They met at Topshop, where they worked in partnership from 2008-2016. Increasingly aware of their industry’s impact on the environment and the rise of recommerce, they joined forces again in 2019 to establish an independent consultancy focused on sustainable retail, where they could use their skills to the greatest effect. As their knowledge of circularity grew, it became clear that existing solutions were inaccessible to most brands – and the idea for tern was born.