Corporate Communications Internships (Industrial Placement)

About us

In the UK, Pernod Ricard is made up of 3 businesses:

• Pernod Ricard UK, which markets, sells and distributes our products in the UK and also drives the global development of our iconic Gin brands through The Gin Hub
• Chivas Brothers, the largest brand company in the Group, responsible for the production and management of our award-winning Scotch whisky portfolio
• Pernod Ricard Global Travel Retail, the global and EMEA home of the group’s duty free, air travel and cruises business.

About the Bright Futures Programme

We’re looking to recruit undergraduates with flair and motivation to join our Bright Futures programme, offering you a huge amount of invaluable business experience. At Pernod Ricard you can actually make an impact, and many of our placement students have returned to Pernod Ricard.

Placements will commence in June 2023, and will be based in our West London offices on Chiswick Business Park. We offer a fantastic package including a competitive salary, generous annual leave entitlement and a product allowance to spend on our brands.

About the team    

This position sits in our Pernod Ricard UK (PRUK) business. Our diverse population of 300+ passionate employees have been creating conviviality since 2001, bringing our premium brands and unforgettable experiences to the UK. As the world’s 2nd largest spirits market, the UK is a key location for our company. Since 2017 PRUK has also hosted The Gin Hub, the team responsible for managing the Group’s unrivalled portfolio of ‘Premium+’ International Gins globally.

At PRUK, we have a culture that blends performance and conviviality: we are recognised as an open and diverse business with a firm commitment to our employees’ wellness, inclusion and safety and to making a positive impact on our industry and environment.

The Pernod Ricard UK Communications department supports the business in its Company objectives through enhancing and protecting the reputation of Pernod Ricard UK and The Gin Hub, its brands and its people. This is achieved through promotion of the Group’s pillars of premiumisation, innovation, responsibility and conviviality via engagement strategies across Pernod Ricard UK’s stakeholder base which includes customers, consumers, politicians, local community, the media, cultural partners and employees. The Pernod Ricard UK Communications team’s responsibilities cover Corporate Communications (corporate PR, crisis and issues management, cultural partnerships, specialised event management), external communication (B2B and B2C Communications), internal communications and Sustainability and Responsibility (the environment, social enterprise and responsible drinking).

About the roles

There are two roles available which are both detailed below. If you have a particular preference for a role, you will be able to put this in your application. If you are equally interested in either role, you can select 'no preference'.

All candidates will be considered for all available roles. For successful candidates, we will take preferences into account where possible, as well as recommending the best fit role for you based on what we have learnt about you through the process. 

1. Corporate Communications Executive Intern - main areas of responsibility:

• Internal Communications strategy: Support the Communications Manager to project manage, implement and maintain the Pernod Ricard UK internal communications strategy through the following core initiatives: Delivery of internal CSR events and activities e.g. Responsib’ALL Day, Corporate Identity – PRUK brand guidelines, office branding and visual displays, Chiswick Park engagement, Company conferences, Intranet, Events calendar and Sponsorship/charity enquiries.
• External Communication: Be the ‘PRUK media awareness centre’, daily analysis of media coverage and highlight to colleagues as relevant. Develop a system to manage all Company print and online media subscriptions – aiming for cost effectiveness. Feature and Media requests – support communications manager as required. Day-to-day manager of @pernodricardUK, working closely with the Comms Manager for approval on all posts. Using Releas’d, support with the management and distribution of clippings internally – working with brand teams and agencies to get content uploaded and maintained. Support the communications and customer marketing teams manage trade media advertising calls becoming the go-to point of contact and distributor of agreed content Corporate Communication.
• Content Management: CSR internal programmes: Be a member of the CSR Action Team with responsibility for internal CSR events. Corporate identity – Become an expert on corporate identity across the business – supporting the Comms Manager to ensure brand guidelines are adhered to, that the office branding process is maintained and ensuring all electronic and printed materials are up to date. Chiswick Park engagement: Help promote and manage Pernod Ricard UK’s reputation among Chiswick Park businesses. Company conferences: Work with the Comms Manager in the production of Company Conferences. Intranet: Day-to-day content management, management of weekly news and content, co-ordinating input across the business.  Events calendar – Own and update the Pernod Ricard UK events calendar and ensure timely distribution to internal stakeholders, following sign-off from the Comms Manager. Manage sponsorship/charity enquiry inbox, sifting for relevant opportunities, responding in a timely and professional manner.

2. Corporate Communications Events Executive Intern - main areas of responsibility:

• Company Events: Support the Communications and Events Specialist to help develop and deliver internal, corporate and brand led events (Company Conference, Christmas Media Lunch and some brand activity from TGH) as and when briefed by the CODI, TGH & Corporate Communication teams. Liaise with venues, agencies, designers and printers, event staffing and brand teams to ensure effective execution and delivers against the set brief and KPI’s. 
• Experiential administrative support: Provide administrative support to the team with financial processes, presentation support, stock orders and general experiential & industry research as well as venue finding. In the context of a UK focused role, the Communications Executive Intern - Events must operate within the known constraints in the market place. These include responsible drinking codes of conduct on promotion, sponsorship and sampling (such as those developed by The Portman Group). Also awareness of any legislative measures proposed or taken by the government affecting the licensed trade e.g. relaxation of licensing laws. 
• KPI’s: Collate Key learnings and Survey feed back against set brief and KPI’s and feed back to the Communications team.

What you need

• Growth Mindset: Forward thinking, embodying a vision that translates into inspiring strategies. Thrives in a complex and changing world deploying resources effectively and efficiently.
• Deliver Through Collaboration: Achieves results while balancing rigorous planning and flexible transversal collaboration. Building partnerships and working collaboratively with others to meet shared objectives.
• Consumer Centric: Develops consumer intimacy with a focus of technology to innovate and create more value for the consumer and Pernod Ricard.
• Bold and Agile: Decisive and courageous even in the face of difficult and complex situations and always learns from past experiences. Stepping up to address difficult issues, saying what needs to be said in a respectful way.
• Open and Authentic: Role Models who instil trust, engage teams by giving and receiving feedback and constantly fostering open dialogue.
• Grow Diverse Teams: Leverages and values diversity of profiles to build empowered teams and develops talents creating a sense of belonging in an environment that promotes Pernod Ricard values.

What do we require?     

• Studying a recognised sandwich undergraduate degree (or able to transfer onto one) 
• A relevant undergraduate degree
• On track to achieve 2:1 or above 
• Be available to work for 12 months from June 2023, based in west London

Benefits

• For your health, we offer private medical insurance, critical illness cover and an optional healthcare cash plan and dental insurance.
• Our lifestyle benefits options include 28 days’ annual holiday, your employee pension, share incentive plan, family care, season ticket loans, free mortgage advice, payroll giving and more!
• You can access lots of gifts & discounts, including an allowance each year to spend on our brands in our staff shop and employee discounts from a range of high street retailers.
• We have regular events in our very own office bar, employee-run networks, a culture of flexibility and trust and a variety of tools and resources to help you focus on your wellbeing and mental fitness.

Conviviality: the Pernod Ricard Way

We have our own way of doing things. We call it conviviality! It’s our way of being, and something unique you feel and experience when working for Pernod Ricard.

We’re committed to conviviality, and with this, you’ll be Proud to Belong to our Pernod Ricard family. You’ll be Empowered to Perform, supported to succeed, and acknowledged for the value you bring.

We combine all this with our Commitment to Care: we are unlocking the magic of human connection to transform our industry and make a positive impact on the world though our strong focus on sustainability and responsibility.

Application Process

The selection process will be as follows:

1. Online application & CV submission
2. Blended assessment & video interview
3. Shortlisting
4. Assessment Centres (likely Feb 2023)

We’re committed to diversity and inclusion

People are at the heart of everything we do at Pernod Ricard and are the foundation of our collective spirit as ‘Créateurs de Convivialité’.

We promote diversity and inclusion throughout our business and supply chain. In our teams, we proactively foster a diverse work force and an inclusive culture – an environment where we can truly be ourselves. 

We will assess your application for this role based on your skills, experiences and achievements, not your gender, age, ethnic or educational background or any other such factors. Please feel free to leave these off your CV and application form if you so wish.

Similarly, if you would like to discuss opportunities for flexible working or require accommodations or support to complete our application process, please let us know.

Responsible drinking

As ‘Créateurs de convivialité’, we want to turn social interactions into genuine and friendly experiences of sharing and wellbeing.

In our culture, we want to create diverse teams in which our differences contribute to our success. Therefore, all are welcome at Pernod Ricard, regardless of your religious beliefs or personal choices on the consumption of alcohol.

In our business, we work together with industry members, civil society, governments, local authorities and UN bodies to promote responsible drinking.