NIKKI
Commodity Controller
Whilst studying for an Industrial Economics and Languages degree, I did several internships within the marketing function of a large FMCG company, however when it came to deciding what to do after university I found myself drawn to the idea of a professional qualification to fall back on should I ever need to. Having qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Arthur Andersen, I started to look for opportunities in industry to make the most of my recent financial qualification and also my previous commercial experience and interest, and found myself at Nestlé.
I joined Nestlé UK in spring 2002 as a Supply Chain Project Finance Accountant with responsibility for assessing the financial implications of a range of supply chain focused projects. I worked across a range of functions within the business including distribution, factories and the commercial divisions on a variety of different projects working with internal colleagues and external customers alike.
After being in the role for nine months I was promoted into commodity purchasing within the Zone Europe Purchasing Function as the Commodity Controller. Initially this role consisted of controlling and reporting the derivative trading activity which Nestlé undertakes to manage the price risk of its cocoa and coffee for the UK and Western Europe. However, it quickly grew into Global Commodity Purchasing encompassing Cocoa for Eastern Europe and Coffee and Cocoa for Asia, Oceania and Africa. In 2006, Nestlé started to hedge its energy exposure in Europe and I have been involved in setting up this activity as well as learning about the complexities of this world-impacting industry.
In 2006, I took over the controlling activities for sugar and vegetable oils which were managed by our Sydney Australia office, and was promoted within my position to reflect this additional responsibility. In autumn 2006 we moved the sugars and vegetable oils activity to Singapore and London to further align the purchasing processes within the group. We now buy a range of agricultural commodities as well as energy for the majority of Nestlé markets in Europe, Asia, Oceania and Africa, all of which have unique characteristics despite coming under the heading of commodities. One of the most interesting parts of my role is seeing the impact that external factors such as weather, the oil price and world politics can have on the price of a KitKat or a jar of NESCAFÉ.
On top of the fundamental control aspect of my role there are three other main areas which occupy my time; reporting, working on commodity purchasing projects and managing a team. On the control side there are procedures to establish, maintain and follow which allow me to keep in touch with technical accounting developments and practices. The reporting which my team prepares each month gives me insight and involvement into what is a key driver for Nestlé businesses across the world. I am also involved in managing projects to further improve the commodity purchasing model within the company as a whole, which provides a fascinating overview of an important part of Nestlé’s core activity. On the management side, I started off with two direct reports in this role, and now have a team of seven who work across the various commodities and control activities. This brings various challenges but also has allowed me to develop my skills as a manager which will be very valuable in my future career.
My role offers me diversity both in the people I deal with across the business ranging from senior finance managers in the businesses to Supply Chain Planners, Factory staff and Technical Accounting Experts in Head Office in Switzerland, and also in the type of work that I do. Despite only being in the company for less than four years, I have a lot of responsibility and a lot of international exposure within the Nestlé Group which has allowed me to travel extensively and develop my understanding of Nestlé as a Global company.
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