Graduate case studies
Even though many of our graduates will have progressed in their careers since completing a case study, they are still of interest to students who wish to gain an understanding of the world of work.
In my role I have both external and internal responsibilities.
Externally I work with Forecourt and Travel Customers to help them to grow their sales within confectionery. I provide impartial advice. I work with my Customers on range reviews, analysis of performance and any ad hoc requests.
Internally I work with our Category and Commercial teams to ensure we have the right products for my Customers, provide performance updates and share what is best practise within Forecourts & Travel.
Within my role I am involved in a range of activities. I report monthly on the performance of my Customers both to the Customers themselves and also to internal Mondelez stakeholders. I work with Customers on range reviews, for this I look at the products they have stocked, the way they display them in store (their store planograms) and highlight any strongly performing products they may be missing. Alongside their day to day product portfolio I also work with them on their seasonal range. Internally I work with the Category team to ensure we have the right products for my Customers, particularly when we are launching new products. I look at what is best practise for Forecourts & Travel, through looking at their performance, who their shoppers are and how those shoppers shop. I also complete any ad hoc requests such as reviewing external factors affecting Mondelez or our Customers (e.g. COVID-19), product launches and information on shopper behaviour.
I really enjoy customer meetings, building strong collaborative relationships and feeling that I am adding value.
It can sometimes be a challenge to balance what's best for the Customer with what our Commercial team's priorities are (i.e. what's best for Mondelez).
When I graduated from Sheffield I knew I wanted to work for an FMCG company but was unsure which area exactly I was interested in. I started at Mondelez in Field Sales which gave me experience of front-line sales. I enjoyed working with Customers and being able to help them grow their sales. Since, I have therefore looked for roles where I am customer facing but rather than just selling Mondelez products to the Customer I am instead working collaboratively with them to help them grow their total business.
July 2016: Graduated from the University of Sheffield
Sept 2016 - March 2017: Boots Customer Assistant
March 2017 - June 2017: Travelled Australia & SE Asia
July 2017 - Sept 2018: Sales Development Executive (Field Sales), Mondelez UK
Sept 2018 - Jan 2019: Space Planning Executive, Mondelez UK
Jan 2019 - Present: Customer Category Development Manager, Mondelez UK
I hope to move to a Customer Category Development Manager role with one of the top 5 Customers (Tesco, Sainsbury's, Morrisons, Asda or Co-op). To ensure I have a variety of experience I am then looking to move in to a Commercial role either in Account Management or Sales Revenue Planning.
The two main pieces of advice I would give are to look at direct entry roles as well as graduate schemes and that you don't need to have a business related degree to work in sales or marketing.
Last updated: 29 May 2020