Joanne McKenna

What excites you most about your role and working for Nestlé?

What I love about my role with Nestlé Purina is the breadth and scope of the role which spans commercial, marketing, category and everything else in between. Everyday is different and there are always learning opportunities given the pace of change within the PetCare category. The other highlight is that I get to work with an amazing team who are passionate about pets and all that they bring to our everyday lives!

What has been the best advice you've been given in your career? Do you have any top tips of your own for new starters?

The best advice I have been given, and this specifically relates to career progression, is to get really clear on the critical experiences you have amassed to date and be laser focussed on those that you want to develop. This really helps to weigh up opportunities and consider if they are right based on the experiences rather than the job title.

For new starters I would always encourage them to fully embrace all those learning opportunities that come as part of the induction and to be as curious as possible in that phase of joining the business. In Purina we have amazing programmes such as Embrace and Hello Purina to enable a full learning pathway and give the opportunity to ask as many questions as possible.

Is there anyone that inspires you, either personally or professionally?

Throughout my life my mum has been a huge inspiration to me. As a child I grew up in the 80s in Ireland and the economic landscape was very challenging for a lot of families. My mum had amazing work ethic – she worked a number of jobs (some at the same time) when I was younger but she was always there for us and hugely supportive. She instilled that powerful work ethic in me and continually inspires me to be the best mum I can be.

What has been your proudest moment at Nestlé?

It is very hard to pick one moment – there are moments everyday when I feel very proud of all that we are achieving as a team and the progress we have made over the last few years. Beyond what we have delivered, I am exceptionally proud about how we have delivered – the spirit and can-do attitude of the team is very inspiring.

What one thing would you like to see more people doing to be more inclusive?

To be curious, to seek out and connect with people who might have different backgrounds to you and take an interest in their lived experience inside and outside of work.