Supply Chain Grads
Andrew Davenport
Kate Wood
Jen Jones
Sol Sidhu
Chris Sellicks
Andrew Davenport
European Lead Buyer - Ingredients
SUPPLY CHAIN GRADUATE PROGRAMME
“After completing my Masters in Engineering, Manufacture and Management at UMIST (and enjoying an internship with Corus), I considered a number of different Supply Chain and Manufacturing Engineering options – all mainly in the food and FMCG sector.
Supply Chain offered the most diverse range of training, experiences and opportunities – particularly with Nestlé being one of the largest and most respected companies in the world. Supply, as a function, gets involved at every stage from the farm to the fork so that really makes my role interesting. And then there’s the fact I’m working with well-known brands that turn up around me wherever I go.
The Graduate Programme gave me the opportunity to work in three different roles. My first role was in UK Purchasing – based in Croydon – where I was looking after the fruits and flavourings we were buying for our confectionery and chilled dairy products. Next, I moved to York and worked in two different roles – Supply Chain Planning, looking after our Polo and Rolo brands and then, Shift Team Leader in our Northern Distribution centre.
After completing the ‘formal’ graduate programme, I was given the opportunity to return to Purchasing in our European team – initially as an Assistant Buyer but most recently as European Lead Buyer. Variety is the real watchword here: one day to the next is usually nowhere near even similar! The people I work with are great too, from different Nestlé offices all around Europe.
Work/life balance is good – and that doesn’t mean to say we don’t work long hours occasionally, but it’s not everyday. At most sites there’s the usual after-work social events and playing football too. As for personal highlights, I’ve been lucky enough to travel to some really interesting places that I would never have visited otherwise.
In terms of training and development, there’s a lot of heavy investment in this area. We have two-day workshops three times per year, partly spent acquiring new skills and partly for learning about different parts of the Nestlé business. Development-wise, these sessions are really good for picking up skills and sharing experiences. The next step for me within Supply Chain includes starting a new role very soon to concentrate solely on imported products. I love the idea of a new challenge. And with Nestlé being such a large organisation there’s certainly no shortage of them!”
Kate Wood
Asda Demand Planner, Nestle Purina
SUPPLY CHAIN GRADUATE PROGRAMME
“In the future, I see myself as a manager within supply chain, but how high up is anybody’s guess! I graduated Performing Arts and Music at Middlesex University in 2003 but when it came to considering careers (and sectors) for my first graduate job, I honestly didn’t have a clue! I left my degree with no obvious direction but fell into supply chain through a temporary job for a healthcare company. The rest, you could say, is history! I saw the Nestlé scheme advertised on a graduate recruitment site. It ticked all of the boxes but the main pull was the opportunity to gain experience and exposure quickly.
From when I started in June 2005, to March 2006, I worked in Demand Planning for the beverage division, concentrating on a number of products within the premium and reduced-caffeine Nescafé lines. I also collaborated with Sainsbury’s on the overall beverage forecast, looking at promotions and new lines. After that, I spent six months as a Purchasing Category Specialist (a communication link between our European Buying structure and our UK based factories). I managed our UK factories’ quality and supply requirements with Nut and Seed buyers based in Italy. I also took on a packaging project, which involved a tender and face-to-face supplier negotiations.
September 2006 to March 2007, I was Team Leader in the York Warehouse. Then, having completed the graduate scheme, I moved into the Purina Business, which supplies pet food to both retail and specialist sectors. Visiting Leeds once a week and collaborating closely with supply chain as well as my commercial colleagues, I work as the Asda Demand Planner, with responsibility for the entire Purina product forecast.
This is a really varied, interesting area. It moves at the pace of the customer, which can be incredibly fast, so you have to be prepared to keep up. I deal with completely different scenarios everyday, using lots of analysis of sales and promotional performance in order to forecast the future. The exposure is incredible. You jump in at the deep end but the business is incredibly supportive in helping you find your feet.
Training and development varies from business to business within Nestlé – it adapts and changes constantly. The induction process is great too – I’ve made some incredible friends and established some good mentors. That was a concern with leaving a small company to work for a giant like Nestlé. You could never believe it without seeing it but Nestlé has a similar culture – it’s like a huge family with an incredible support network. Moving around has been also great. It can feel quite exhausting at the end of 18 months but there’s no better way to get a feel for the areas that suit you.
To give other grads some advice: Take your time. Ask all the questions that you can think of, and ask them of as many different people as possible. You’re pretty much pledging a proportion of your life to the company that you choose to work for so while they are working out if you are right for them, make sure that they are right for you.
Finally, have fun and take opportunities to mingle with people in all parts of the business. You never know where one person will be in 5 or 10 years’ time. Remember, you could be asking them for a role. Come to think of it, they could be asking you…“
Jen Jones
Supply Chain Graduate Trainee
SUPPLY CHAIN GRADUATE PROGRAMME
"I studied at UMIST in Manchester and graduated in 2005, having taken a BEng in Chemical Engineering. My first thoughts for a career were to work in a Sales or Supply Chain role, and I applied to various FMCG and Medical Sales companies. But then my ideas became much more specific.
I realised that what I really wanted was to work for a well known, fast moving company that could provide me with plenty of opportunities to progress. Nestle’s Graduate Scheme looked like a great option. They were offering lots of variety, real jobs that would give people – like me – a chance to shine, and all the support you could want if and when you needed it.
My original interest in a Supply Chain role was still there. At Nestle, it particularly attracted me because it’s the engine room of a very dynamic business. Important decisions are made on an hourly basis here, making it essential that you have really good problem-solving skills. Once I’d joined Nestle, I was quickly offered a range of interesting six-month placements.
In the first, I worked as a Nestle Rowntree Demand Planner, dealing with customer demand planning for Costco, Makro and Hancocks. During the second, I managed 20 people as a Team Leader in our York Warehouse. That was a challenge, as the team worked in shifts and I was involved in meeting both inbound and outbound requirements. Placement number three saw me taking on the role of a Food and Beverage Demand Planner, dealing with category demand planning for Dolce Gusto. I then carried on with demand planning in my first role off the placement scheme, with our Dalston factory and for Morrison’s.
I have to say that specialising in Supply Chain Management has given me all the challenges I wanted and more. The most interesting thing is that no two days are ever the same. Besides all the variety, I’m constantly involved in a high paced atmosphere where decisions get made quickly and often. I interact on a daily basis not just with the Supply Chain, but also with sales, marketing and commercial people. When things go well, you really do get an enormous sense of achievement.
I’ve already been given more responsibility on the Graduate Scheme than I initially ever thought possible. Although it’s sometimes pretty scary, I’ve had the opportunity to really change things and make a difference. Nestle’s an ideal place if you like that high level of challenge: we always want to be the best, and that makes for a lively atmosphere that’s full of fun as well.
As for the training and development here, it’s really very good and well organised. There are so many courses to choose from, and there are systems in place to highlight what you’re best at and what your development areas are. On the Graduate Scheme, there are also tri-annual themed meetings where mini course and development sessions are held for the last three years’ graduate intake.
My next challenge is going to be starting on a Supply Chain training scheme by Accenture and sponsored by Nestle. What I want is to really develop my knowledge of Supply Chain Management, both in Nestle and as a discipline generally. Longer-term, well, you might as well aim high! I’d like to be the CEO of a large company but I will settle for Supply Chain Director. I would also love to work abroad with Nestle, and the opportunities are certainly there. Right now, I’m very happy with the idea that I’m learning fast and developing my ability to make a difference in my role."
Sol Sidhu
Supply Chain Graduate Trainee
SUPPLY CHAIN GRADUATE PROGRAMME
“I worked in supply chain for a year-long placement as part of my Business Studies degree at Bournemouth and based my dissertation on it. Because I enjoyed the experience and knew supply-chain would offer a large variety of roles, I was always going to pursue it after graduating, and that’s exactly what I did in September 2007.
The Nestlé scheme was exactly what I was looking for. It offers the chance to work in three areas in just 18 months – giving me a broader perspective than if I’d gone into a standard role somewhere else. We also have additional training and development courses, for example my upcoming Accenture Course. I don’t think there are many places where I’d get an opportunity like this. I have just had word of my next placement (Supply Planning) which sounds challenging and I’m sure will develop me further.
So far, I’ve spent four months in Demand Planning for Food Services. I get to liaise with loads of different areas of the business, and have met so many people in just my short time here. Essentially, I work with customer representatives and the sales team to give our factories the most accurate picture of demand possible.
I’m not a great numbers person but this role is very numerically based. Thankfully, my team and the people around me are very supportive and willing to take time out to help me understand and develop. I really enjoy the way we all work together, partly, I think, because the whole team is relatively new and we’ve all bonded. That certainly makes work and life in general much more enjoyable! As does flexi-time, where I can arrange things around work easily too.
As well as gaining this wide knowledge base, grads also get high visibility within Nestlé. As long as I perform well, senior people in the business will acknowledge this and see that I progress my career. I certainly want to manage a team of people at some point and envisage myself in a senior role in the future.
A major change at the moment is the introduction of what Nestlé calls NBS (Nestlé Business Services). This involves sharing business solutions throughout the company rather than each area having its own department. It avoids duplication and gives a better service-for-cost ratio in the future. My next placement will be within one of these NBS areas so I hope to play a part in the success of that once I move across.
The grad scheme is everything I expected and was hoping for. I’m given real responsibility and am in control of my own area, meaning I get praise when things go well and feel the pressure when things are not. That’s all part of the fun of Supply Chain for me.”
Chris Sellicks
Supply Chain Graduate - European Purchasing Support
SUPPLY CHAIN GRADUATE PROGRAMME
“After graduating both BSc Business, Economics & Finance BSc in 2003, and MSc Logistics & Supply Chain Management in 2007, a career in supply chain seemed the next logical step. I had enjoyed learning the theory and working on a couple of company-based projects, and basically knew it was the area for me. I chose Nestlé because of rotation opportunities in different areas of supply chain. It was also one of the few graduate schemes to offer placements in Purchasing – an area of real interest for me. Another key decider was that Nestlé UK only takes on a few graduates each year, so once you’re in, you get given great exposure and opportunities from day one.
In my current role, I support two European Lead Buyers who are responsible for buying rigid plastic packaging and flexible packaging for the confectionery business. I’m also involved in preparing for tenders, analysing tender outcomes and have responsibility for my own packaging project. I liaise with a real variety of Nestlé’s European markets and suppliers for it. Trying to learn and understand the materials and categories these two buyers look after is fairly challenging but everyone around me is supportive and so down to earth.
In purchasing no two days are ever the same. You get the opportunity to look at the business from a strategic point of view and supplier negotiations are very interesting. One real highlight so far has been my packaging project investigation, which helped identify previously unknown information which will be useful in future supplier negotiations.
It can be tough when you first start but you’re given a thorough two-week induction and your managers provide a lot of great guidance and support. There’s a good work/life balance too. Of course, sometimes there are long hours and pressure to deliver but we run flexi-time, so you can always take a break when things are less hectic.
There’s a lot of investment in training and development. All the Supply Chain graduates get together three times a year to focus on a particular part of Nestlé’s Supply Chain. It’s a great chance to meet up with other grads away from your day-to-day role and share your experiences.
For my second placement I’ll be moving from Croydon to York to do Demand Planning – so my immediate aim is to find somewhere to live! Long-term though, the aim is to become Supply Chain Director. It’s a solid method, as experiencing so many different areas of Supply Chain first-hand at this stage means any of my future decisions will be more informed.
That’s something I’d recommend thinking about. I know it’s not easy, but focus on what you want before you get to interview stage. If you don’t know what you want, how will the person interviewing you know?”
