Meet Teodora Kovacsova, Senior Contract Management as a Service (CMaaS) Team Lead

Tuesday, March 4, 2025

Tell us about yourself and your role at Mondelēz International.

I have been working at Mondelēz for the past 6 years. I think it has been destined for me to come to work here. I am currently a part of the EUDR project, leading the Global Business Services European Union Deforestation Regulation Team (GBS EUDR Team).

How would you describe your career path?

I reflect on my career path so far as full of surprises and surrounded by great people. Honestly, this last one is what has pulled me in from day one and I did not let go ever since. The people.

I have not had the intention to become a team lead, let alone doing it for over 3 years. Neither was I ever thinking that I will get to experience working on process transitions, tool set ups, various projects, completing a GB (Global Business) project of my own and mentoring others to complete theirs. I know it might sound cheesy, but I consider myself very lucky that I got to experience so much within such a short period of time.

May you give us a closer look at Contract Management as a Service (CMaaS) team?

The CMaaS (Contract Management as a Service) team is where my career has started at Mondelēz, so it will always be near and dear to my heart. It´s a standalone department providing service to Procurement with purchase contract creation and maintenance related activities. And it does not stop there. Each individual in CMaaS team has wide variety of skills, so we can provide the highest quality services to our stakeholders. We are in close connection with Procurement (Spend Area, Procurement Specialists), Plants, AP and more. It was a tough choice to leave this well-oiled machine for the unknown 6-months ago.

Once transferring to the position of Team Lead in EUDR Project, what are your most significant challenges?

EUDR came to us as a whirlwind. Whereas CMaaS was a long-established, trusted team well known by stakeholders, EUDR was something different. Unknown, new, constantly evolving. When I took the opportunity to move to a new team, I only knew that I was craving something new in my career. My manager knew that, so the change worked out perfectly.

I did not know anything specific about EUDR 6 months ago, only that it´s a new project related to EU compliance. We needed to establish a team, a process within an aggressive timeline – at that point the legislation was supposed to go live in just 3 months. We had to jump on the EUDR train very swiftly and get familiar with the project. Thankfully, I was not alone, it was a great teamwork! We managed to establish a team, design a process by end of last year while knowing that the legislation go live might be postponed by the European Parliament by 12 months... It´s been A year end… 😊

How would you describe Mondelēz’s culture?

Diverse, supportive, inclusive, uplifting. I love the culture that we get to build and live in Mondelēz every day.

How does being part of the team at EBSC (European Business Service Center) feel?

Great. When I joined Mondelēz, we, CMaaS, were based at Racianska offices. We were a great team, but separated from EBSC, in different premises. It has changed when we moved to Digital Park. As we are located in the same place as the rest of EBSC, I can safely say that we feel as a part of the bigger picture and not as an isolated function, even though we are still a different entity on paper.

What is your advice for new hires at Mondelēz International?

Enjoy the process of becoming! It´s been a great experience for me to go through it all: experiences, challenges, ups and downs. If you feel like you are struggling, just go further and know that you are never alone! Eventually, everything will click.