We spoke to Charlotte about her progression to managing Pernod Ricard's commercial relationship with Amazon, after starting out in field sales.
Tell us about your career at Pernod Ricard so far
I’ve now worked at Pernod Ricard for over 10 years! Had someone told me that would be the case when I first started, I would have never believed them.
In those 10 years I’ve held 9 different roles, spanning from graduate field sales to brand marketing, looking after trendy boutique hotels to huge national accounts. I’ve covered quite a broad range of roles and each of them has greatly contributed to the skillset I now have and use every day in my current role.
In my time at Pernod Ricard I’ve been taken to some fantastic places such as our vineyards in New Zealand & Australia and I’ve had the chance to race cars on the Paul Ricard racetrack, but one of the best things still is the people I’ve got to work with.
What is the most exciting thing about your role?
In my current role looking after our commercial relationship with Amazon, I get to work with pretty much every brand in our portfolio. This means I get to work closely with the brand and marketing teams to bring our brands to life and into the hands of our consumers. It’s always so exciting launching any new products and seeing the immediate sales come in from the wheels you’ve put in motion.
How would you describe the Pernod Ricard culture and what advice you would give someone starting their career at Pernod Ricard?
Conviviality is really at the heart of the company. When I first started out, I didn’t really understand what this meant, but it didn’t take long to get it and to understand that it’s what makes working here different. It’s about fun, passion and energy, an informal culture where we value human connection and good people. You’ll find everyone works in this way & does it without thinking.
I’d recommend to anyone starting out to throw yourself into it and push yourself to meet someone new every day. You never know who you might get talking to; someone who will help you with your next challenge, perhaps your next line manager or even a new close friend. I’ve met some of my best friends working at Pernod Ricard!
What does a typical day look like in field sales?
It really depends on the type of customers you plan to see that day, so you may be straight out on the road having commercial discussions with our customers. Or your morning may start with strategising or connecting with a teammate or your mentor. A key quality valued in the business is autonomy, so you’ll often be left to manage your day the best way that suits you and your customers.
A typical day involves developing relationships with our customers within the aim of mutually growing their business and ours by driving distribution of Pernod Ricard products in their outlets. You may also be negotiating contracts with larger independent outlets or working with our customers on creative initiatives to bring our brands to life in their venues.
As you’re the eyes and ears of the business, it’s also really valuable to share anything interesting you see whilst out and about - the brand and marketing teams always really appreciate this and it’s a great way to build your network.
Interested in following Charlotte's footsteps? Find all opportunities with Pernod Ricard here.