What's your job about?
I work for Reckitt Australia which is a global company in the consumer goods industry who manage world renown brands such as Finish, Nurofen, Dettol & Durex that consumers use in their everyday lives. I am the Senior Brand Manager across Reckitt’s cleaning & disinfection portfolio managing Glen 20, Pine O Cleen & Easy Off Bam which are the market leading brands in Australia. I have a wonderful team of two that report into me and together we do everything from new product development, create and develop new advertising campaigns and build long-term brand strategies. My favourite part of my role is being able to use my creativity every day, and to work closely with our research and development teams and supply teams to bring breakthrough innovation into the market. Working on Australian brands we have a lot of autonomy vs global brands and can focus our efforts to developing bespoke campaign’s and innovations that appeal to Australian consumers. My day to day consists of plenty of meetings and presentations where we work closely alongside different business stakeholders to build plans that bring out the best of our brand portfolio’s.
What's your background?
I grew up in the outskirts of Whangarei and had a rural up bringing on a small lifestyle block spending the bulk of my childhood in the outdoors. I went to university in Waikato studying International Business and Economics and absolutely loved my time there. Through studying international business, I had the pleasure of going overseas twice during my university degree – one year studying in Hong Kong which was one of the best and most fulfilling experiences of my life and the other doing an internship in Penang (Malaysia) working for technology and manufacturing business which was awesome. Through my time abroad I knew I wanted to work for a multinational company that prioritises international mobility at their core which is why I applied for a graduate position at Reckitt. A graduate position really appealed to me as when I came out of university, I wasn’t 100% sure which avenue I wanted to take my career, so having a role that rotated me through functions was at the top of my priority list. I have now been with Reckitt for over 5 years – starting a graduate position in New Zealand and working alongside a fabulous team and amazing office located in Takapuna was the best transition out of university. After a few years working across different functions, I found my niche within marketing and was given an amazing opportunity to transfer to the Sydney office and work with leading marketing professionals that I admired.
Could someone with a different background do your job?
Yes 100%. I don’t think there is a specific journey you have to take to be successful in Reckitt. Everyone’s education, lifestyle and upbringing is unique and having range of different backgrounds is extremely important in developing breath within a company. The company has an extremely inclusive culture and massively promotes diversity that allows everyone strive to be their best. Mangers are also trained on different learning and management styles so they can empower individuals to be their best selves no matter their background, personality or learning style. If everyone had the same background, there would never be anyone to challenge the status quo!
What's the coolest thing about your job?
For me working in a leading FMCG company is amazing as no two days are the same. I am someone who cannot stand still so I love having constant change and different challenges to conquer daily. Working in a global company we are surrounded by incredibly intelligent business professionals that we can learn so much from. For me the coolest thing about my job is being able to bring my ideas to life. We are given so much ownership from day one and if you have a great idea the business will support you 100% in making it happen.
What are the limitations of your job?
There is a lot of trust and responsibility given to employees from day one, sometimes this can feel quite overwhelming when you come straight out of university to being told you manage a multi-million-dollar account. It does feel quite sink or swim sometimes, however you do have the right support to succeed and looking back it’s been incredible to see the things you can achieve once you stop doubting yourself and just give everything a go.
3 pieces of advice for yourself when you were a student...