I graduated from the University of Edinburgh in the summer of 2021 with a degree in History and History of art. After graduation I moved to Paris for 7 months to study French and then returned for this role just over 2 months ago ! My employment history before taking this job was relatively varied and I have worked in executive search, Financial PR and various charitable start-ups.
What is your role and how long have you been at Pernod Ricard?
I am a part of the commercial graduate scheme here are Pernod Ricard UK. Within this graduate scheme we hold the title ‘Graduate Business Development Executive.’ Within this role we largely undertake the same task as other field sales Business Development Executives but with a little more training and support from the beginning. We are also more focused on specific activations and campaigns, for example, ‘the Spring Spritz Campaign.’ However, I have recently slightly changed roles as I began my two month customer marketing placement in the head office in London. Overall, I have been with the company for just over two months and the time has flown by!
What inspired you to apply for this role/Pernod Ricard?
As a recent university graduate, I was focused on looking for a graduate scheme due to the level of training and support you might not otherwise get by starting out in an entry level role. Beyond this, I was always interested in working in a creative and international business. So, this job and company really appealed to me, especially as someone who wanted a scheme which allowed you to work in different parts of the business. I saw the post on Bright Network and after having undertaken some research on the company I really felt as if the culture and opportunity would be the right fit for me.
What has been the single most important thing you learnt so far in your job?
The single most important thing I have learnt so far in the job is the need to have a willingness to collaborate. The teams I have worked with are so collaborative and really open to sharing work and ideas if you are too. This culture is great to be surrounded by and encourages me to stretch myself to do tasks that normally wouldn’t come under my remit.
What would a ‘normal’ day look like for someone in your role?
Now I am undertaking a customer marketing placement, my day-to-day looks very different to how it did before. Currently, my days are filled with brand meetings, activation calendar planning, and the creation and design of customer facing merchandise. Whereas, when working in field sales I spent my time meeting directly with customers, planning on-the-ground activations, and promoting our brands. It is an exciting job and a great office to be based in to experience the full extent of working in the creative side of the business.
What do you find most interesting with the sector you’re in?
Working within the on-trade commercial marketing team is fast-paced and exciting. I like the fact that my job is both creative and analytical and you can work to your own. Within customer marketing you are basically the middleman for all parts of the company. Including brand teams, field sales and experiential. So, you are involved in every element of the company, and it really allows you to understand the way all the elements of the business work.
What is the culture like?
The culture at Pernod Ricard UK is unbeatable and very convivial! The teams are all very open to ideas and you do really have a large level of autonomy if there is something you are interested in working on you can just go for it! We have work drinks once a week, showcasing one of the brands at a time and it is a fun opportunity to meet people from all over the office and spend time together. The best thing about working here is that everyone really likes their work and it shows, so the energy in the office and throughout the teams is super positive!
Have you had the opportunity to get involved in any activities outside work?
I have been fortunate with the opportunities I have been given within and around the graduate scheme so far. I have helped on the BEAT tour in Manchester, bringing awareness to our brands through a series of takeovers with local bartenders. I have worked closely with the BAE team to organise and run local activations and events. I have also been invited to visit different distilleries and cities across the UK where our brands are developed to understand more about their individual histories. One of the best parts of this job is that the events we organise are really fun so I enjoy going to them even outside work, for example some work friends and I recently went to the Malfy gin takeover in box park Shoreditch and the Chivas experiential collaboration with Doc Martens in Soho.
How did you find the application process?
I really enjoyed the application process as a whole and I think it was representative of the work culture and environment of the company. The assessment centre was a really great day filled with collaboration, positive energy and innovative challenges. I really relaxed throughout and got a true sense of the energies of the people I would end up working with. Apart from the assessment centre, the rest of the application was relatively straightforward and I felt as if the questions really allowed me to show why I wanted this job specifically.
Finally, any tips for anyone who’d like to apply for a role at Pernod Ricard?
Make sure you really understand the business and what it is about the job/scheme that makes you want to apply, try and be as specific as possible. You might be nervous, but try and show some of your own personality and friendliness throughout the process and the people interviewing you will notice !