DOMINIK TALKS ABOUT HIS CAREER TO BECOME SENIOR BRAND MANAGER DACH

Monday, January 09, 2023

Please introduce yourself

Moin from Germany – my name is Dominik and I am living with my wife and our two little boys (2 and 4 years old) in Bremen. My current role is Senior Brand Manager for the Pastries Business in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

When did you join MDLZ? And why did you choose to join MDLZ?

I joined the Mondelēz family 11 years ago within the JUMP program. I was starting my PHD in the USA when I first saw that Mondelēz was recruiting a graduate program that is not only offering different rotations in various departments – but additionally puts you directly in the driving seat with brand and customer responsibilities. I directly applied and never regretted to start the journey here at Mondelēz.

What is your current role and what makes it exciting?

After the JUMP Program I had the opportunity to grow within the Sales Department and have responsibilities on a regional / national / group level for Key Accounts. But as my passion belongs to brands – I recently changed sides and I am now working on building the brand 7DAYS in DACH. For me this is an outstanding opportunity to create something that is potentially as big as our iconic brands in our portfolio.

What personal qualities or skills make you successful in your position?

The most precious skill for me is to stay open and learn every day. Accepting that adapting is learning and vice versa, is the foundation of a growth mindset and that is what is really helping myself to grow personally and the business. Besides this, keep the fun at work and enjoy the challenges and the successes.

How has your career developed at MDLZ?

Within the JUMP Program I had roles within different departments (Key Account, Field Force, Trade Marketing, Brand Marketing), different channels (Retail, Away from Home) and different categories (Snacks, Meals, Coffee). With this foundation I was 7 years in Key Account and now in the Marketing department.

What kind of project, assignments have you done outside of the traditional career moves that helped you further your career?

This was the agile project for launching hazelnut crème in Germany, where I was the sales lead for the project. The project was out of our usual processes with lead times of weeks instead of months – so truly an entrepreneurial experience. It helped me to broaden my horizon with working closely with a lot of departments and colleagues.

How do you describe the culture at MDLZ?

Spontaneously I would say that there are three things that come to my mind: Firstly caring – here at Mondelēz it’s like a family where everyone is a part of it. Secondly daring – everyone is encouraged to take responsibilities and decisions, but always with a safety net of trust. And finally fun – we all spend a lot of our time at work. Thus, enjoying the ride is important.

What is your view on working from home, a hybrid model and the way MDLZ handles this?

For me as a father, flexibility is key. Having the option to work from home and have lunch with the family and on the next day go to the office for a face2face meeting, is something that is making a big difference.

And finally, why do you continue to choose MDLZ?

It is the room to grow – personally and business wise. Around me there are so many colleagues where I can learn from, so many business challenges where I want to help and so many brands that are putting a smile on my face.