Andrew – European Lead Buyer
I joined Nestlé on the Supply Chain graduate scheme in 2003 embarking on three very different but equally rewarding hands-on roles in procurement, supply chain planning and distribution. The great thing about the graduate schemes at Nestlé is that you are put in real roles with real responsibility with an expectation to deliver results – with plenty of help and support if you need it of course!
After finishing the 18 month formal programme, I was offered the opportunity to join our European procurement team which is where I have worked for the last two and half years, now in the role of European Lead Buyer for some key ingredient categories.
Nestlé really is a truly global company. In my role I am buying ingredients for over 100 of our beverage, confectionery, cereal, water and culinary factories located all over Europe - from Russia to Portugal, Norway to Italy! That along with working closely with Technical, Research & Development, Marketing and Supply Chain departments means a lot of relationship building with colleagues and suppliers with many different cultures and backgrounds.
What is great about procurement at Nestlé? It is a challenging area but equally rewarding as you are able to be involved in many very different projects and put in place agreements with our suppliers that can mean the success or failure of a product. Our European Procurement team is a ‘virtual’ organisation meaning that we are all located in different countries and offices. My manager is located in Paris which means that we are expected to act on our own initiative which I really appreciate - but that is not to say she isn’t on the end of the phone if I need some advice or to act as a sounding board for a new idea.
What next? The great thing about working for the world’s largest food company is that there really is an unlimited number of opportunities in the many different business areas.
