Food Industry Careers’ Post

As I reflect on my journey in category management, I find myself filled with gratitude for the foundational experiences and learning opportunities provided to me thus far. Those building blocks have shaped my perspective and approach, enabling me to navigate complexities. Transitioning to a new organization comes with its own set of challenges and unique ways of working. However, I see this not as a hurdle, but as an exciting opportunity for growth and adaptation. In just two weeks, I’ve really come to appreciate how category management is not only about data but also about using data to create insights, leveraging those insights to then drive strategic decisions. The essence of category management is the ability to see beyond the numbers. It’s about crafting narratives from data, understanding consumer behavior, and aligning strategies to create value. I am excited to apply the learnings from my past while embracing the innovative approaches of my new team. I really think that there are no limits to what can be achieved when focus and determination are at the forefront.

„Change is chance“ Each year our lovely change management colleagues organize the „Change Day“ at ALDI South. Main purpose of this meeting is to offer a platform for all change experts in order to build networks and exchange on the current challenges and projects we work on. Alongside other two respected colleagues, I was asked to answer the question who I am and what change means to me. I talked about the fact that I faced a lot of changes in my professional but especially in my private life. Some changes were a consequence of my conscious decisions. Others, however, like an illness I recently faced, caught me unexpectedly. All of them were somehow painful on the one hand and offered a lot of chance on the other hand. Taking responsibility, gathering as much information I could and doing what‘s necessary was one thing but I also learned to acknowledge my emotions and build a story on why I experience this. That helped me to stay resilient and accept the given situation. In business transformations, it’s similar. Information and storytelling help to accept & understand, and considering & handling the emotional dynamics can boost the transformation journey. 🚃 Thank you Marvin Dziabel, Milena Scheiermann, Martin Danel for this opportunity. #transformation #change #reprogramretail #aldisued

Transformation is one of the most discussed topics these days. 💡 We, at The HEINEKEN Company are also in the forefront of the Transformation wave and have built a "muscle" that while delivering great results is also an ever-evolving system. As we have to run multiple programs, projects and portfolios at the same time, and deliver all on time and in full, we have created a setup based on three pillars that can scale up or down depending to the needs. The first pillar is the Project/Program/Portfolio Management (P3O) Pillar. This one ensures the delivery across the organisation. Needless to say that when you blend Global and Regional Programs with the local Projects Portfolio, the smooth and proper delivery are a must and also a challenge due to conflicting resource allocation and tough prioritisation. The second pillar is Change Management. Transformation is a lot about people. I've seen, heard or even went through plenty of initiatives that had the perfect planning and were brilliant on paper, but that failed because people were not onboard. This is why I believe in having a scalable framework for change management, where the capabilities, communication and leadership are combined to ensure we all move forward TOGETHER. Also, I think transformation happens must also happen at speed, and that speed should be the HIGHEST one that is still perceived as SAFE. The third pillar is about Business Impact. We can have the perfectly executed plan and everyone on board and still achieve.. nothing. Rigour in assessing the business impact and tracking it throughout the execution is crucial. Also, one must ensure that the success is not given by "project completeness" but by actual business KPIs that are meaningful. Needless to say, we're still on this journey and still plenty to learn, but we are also proud of what we've achieved so far as a company and really excited about the future. We'll succeed, together. 🍻 #heinekenmakers #weareheineken

What skills and behaviors are you getting team members to adopt?

FMCG' international experience, c-level leadership, and consumer-centricity alone, are just not enough for the next generation of FMCG board members! 🌟 Crafting the Ideal FMCG Board Member Profile 🌟 With decades of corporate and PE experience in consumer goods and health, I've recently been approached to craft the attributes of an FMCG board member. Chat-GPT ?? But I would receive all the ‘classics’ we know about: fundamental expertise, leadership roles, a global mindset, consumer-centric, be innovation-driven, etc >>>In my view, what often lacks yet proves increasingly essential revolves around EQ: >Curiosity: "Are they open to exploring new ideas and approaches? Embrace calculated risks for growth and competitiveness?" >Continuous Learner: "Do they keep learning? e.g. on AI? ESG? Digital transformation?" etc >Challenger Of The Status Quo: "Bring provocative thoughts? Alternative options? Ask 'why' and 'why' again in the boardroom?” >Sponsor Of Change: "Embrace? And more importantly have led drastic transformations (operational model, business model, and major organizational shifts)? +++Here some other essential traits and conversation-starting questions: +Consumer Centric: “Start with consumer first in mind? # categories/ brands/ countries they worked on? Understand market trends?” +Innovative-Flexible: “Managed the innovation strategy? Launched NPDs across multiple countries/ channels? How do they anticipate market shifts?” +Digitally Savvy: “Proficiency in digital marketing, e-c, data analytics? Led digital transformation projects?” +Truly Global: “ # countries they lived and worked in? # markets they had ongoing business with?" +Financially Savvy: “Managed a significant P&L? Strong financial literacy for governance and risk management?” +Collaborative Leader: “Led multicultural and multifunctional teams? Part of a Strategy committee, EC or Board before?” And look for EQ again! +Strategic Visionary: “ # long-term plans they shaped/ implemented? Capability of setting LT goals, evaluating performance vs. objectives? Adapting strategies to achieve sustainable growth/ profitability?” +Purposeful: ”Can they embed purpose and sustainability into decision-making? Set clear metrics for ESG?” +Unique: “What do they bring to the boardroom that no one else does?”. Different perspectives and experiences, enhance decision-making and drive innovation. In a nutshell, the next gen FMCG board member, combines consumer first thinking, deep industry expertise, forward-thinking approach, digital fluency, and true global perspective, with a strong commitment to sustainability and ethical business practices, + an insurgent mindset to keep learning, challenging the status quo, and sponsoring change! 🌟 Have I overlooked anything? Do you notice similar trends in your industry? 🌟 #boardmember #NED #chair #bestboards #boardnewgeneration #boardofthefuture #diversity #digitalleadership #esg #vab #boardowl #FMCG #fmcgboards #transformation

I am humbled to share that I received an award for my contributions to employee development at AbInbev during the 2023 financial year. I owe special thanks to Godspower Ikpekhia PHRi for recognizing my efforts. I firmly believe in the "win-win" situation that comes from investing in employee development. It benefits the employee, the manager, and the organization as a whole. Here are some reasons why I take passion in people development: - Skill Enhancement: Continual learning and skill development enables employees to perform their jobs more effectively. - Increased Productivity: A well-trained workforce can work more efficiently and productively, positively impacting the organization's success. - Employee Satisfaction and Retention: Offering development opportunities leads to increased job satisfaction and reduced turnover rates. - Succession Planning: Developing employees prepares them for higher responsibilities in the future, creating a pool of qualified candidates ready to fill key positions. - Adaptability and Innovation: Constant learning leads to adaptability to change and innovative ideas and solutions. - Quality Improvement: Training and development result in higher quality work. - Competitive Advantage: A highly skilled workforce gives an organization a competitive edge in the market. - Risk Management: Compliance and safety training mitigate risks and avoid potential legal issues. Investing in employee development is a strategic approach to ensure that the organization is dynamic, competitive, and able to meet its goals.

What is the importance of Strategic Management? Strategic Management is widely used in many known brands that we know. (explaining it through examples) Nike Communications, Inc. - has been known for its sportswear for the longest time, and it has been making sure to work according to customer needs. Zomato with its unique yet funny strategy of notification, is going viral currently. Starbucks - has developed the use of "customer name imprintation on their cups, this established a great customer relationship for them. Importance of Strategic Management - ✓ Gives a direction to the company - setting realistic objectives - in line with the vision of the company ✓ Proactive instead of reactive - analyse and take appropriate actions ( pehle se hi kisi bhi tareeke ke risks and threats k liye prepare karti hai company ko) ✓ Provides framework for major decisions - businesses , products and markets , manufacturing and sales ( guidance deti hai organisation ko har crucial point pe) ✓ Act as a pathfinder - seeks to prepare organisation to face the future ✓ Serves as a corporate defence mechanism - helps organisation to avoid costly mistakes ✓ Enhance longevity of business - Taking clear stand in the industry , actions over expectations. ✓ Help to develop core competencies - assist in it's fight for survival and growth Will be discussing Limitations of Strategic management in the next post! Stay connected! Do let me know in the comments about your suggestions and reviews of this post! Follow Sayli Chinchole for more Audit and Strategic Management related content! 📚 #ca #cainter #caintermediate #strategicmanagement #strategicplanning #strategicthinking #strategy #importance #proactive #reactive #pathfinder

Last night, I found myself reflecting on several projects I led and was part of for Heineken in Brazil that required zero investment yet had a significant financial impact. I’ll delve into that in a more structured post, perhaps an article. Let’s leave it there for now. What prompted this reflection was the anticipation of reconnecting with a friend from my days facilitating the deployment of #TPM at CSL&P for #Heineken Brazil. I left the country to pursue an MBA in the UK, and André Freire went on to support #Alpargatas as Sr. Global Manager for Excellence in Order Fulfillment. We discussed past projects and why some flowed smoothly while others required more time and effort to complete. During my MBA, I spent significant time researching the dynamics of change in OpEx, and it was valuable to revisit some of my unanswered hypotheses and gain his perspective. Our conversation turned to the gaps in operational excellence within #foodandbeverage supply chains, exploring strategies to enhance #servicelevel while minimising #operational #costs. We also talked about how to balance service and operational costs through improved visibility for all stakeholders. Interestingly, ‘Visibility’ is the name I gave to an approach I developed to increase collaboration and reduce the need for control. This concept, and its impact, will be part of a more detailed post I plan to share soon. Reflecting on our discussion, what emerged was that true impact comes from seeing the bigger picture and aligning all parts of the organisation. It’s okay to focus on immediate problems and quick wins, but building a solid foundation for sustainable and resilient operations is more impactful in the long run. #operationalexcellence #ordertocash #visibility

There is nothing I like more than using LinkedIn to make a HUGE recommendation because you think someone REALLY deserves it 🥇🥇🥇 ('Scuse the caps up there but I am feeling the need to go LARGE to make my POINT... ) Last month, at Market Measures, we invited Joe Spence to come and give our teams a serious power-boost in understanding the FMCG innovation pipeline process. So much of our FMCG market and customer insight is linked to advising our clients' own R&D and innovation pipelines, internal gates and decision making that it's critical we have the best possible feel for how our clients approach this. And Joe gave us this, in spades. Joe's workshop was superb. (SUPERB). I don't think I've been to a better facilitated workshop in my life, and being 54 with quite a chunk of work experience behind me (gulp!) I feel that that might actually be saying something. His planning and set up for the day, use of stimuli, sharing of in-depth and real-world case studies brought the topic of FMCG innovation to life instantly, and powerfully. He constantly linked our own research work back to our clients' problems so that we could see precisely where we fitted best. Of course - the hard bit is what we do next with all our new knowledge and understanding. Far too easy to enjoy the learning, and fail to take action. But that one's down to us.... 😁 Thanks Joe 🙏 Sure we'll see you again very soon.

This past weekend I attended a wedding where someone asked what I do for work. Jokingly I replied that I box groceries at Costco. The reality of the job of an Assistant General Manager at Costco is you wear multiple hats daily and have to be adept at changing tasks. Just this past week, I found myself involved in a variety of high-stakes tasks, underscoring the multifaceted nature of my role: - Strategic Planning: Collaborated with our Regional Senior Vice President to finalize blueprints and plans for a $1 million remodel project at our location. - Project Management: Reviewed proposals for another construction project, meeting with the general contractor to discuss city permits, project scope, and material selection. - Financial Oversight: Developed and wrote the over $200 million budget for our next fiscal year, ensuring all financial targets align with our strategic goals. - Leadership Development: Conducted a leadership meeting with my reporting management team and trainee to ensure continuous growth and improvement within our team. -Regulatory Compliance: Conducted a thorough audit of our hazmat materials to ensure our operations meet all state and government compliance requirements -Sustainability Initiatives: Reviewed our location’s energy usage and practices to find ways to improve our efficiency and reduce our carbon footprint. These responsibilities reflect the complexity and dynamism of my role at Costco. My ability to manage large-scale projects, oversee financial planning, and foster leadership development is crucial to our ongoing success. Quite a lot goes into packing those groceries!