Monday, November 14, 2022

Nick is delighted to be sharing his career journey and telling us about his extensive experience working in marketing & sponsorship at MDLZ.

Tell us about your career journey at MDLZ

About three years ago I joined MDLZ, from the BBC, as Senior Brand Manager for Cadbury, looking after sponsorships and marketing campaigns for our world-famous iconic brands. Despite joining just before a global pandemic as I was working my way through introductions, it was incredible how supportive everyone was and the amazing plans we all delivered during testing times.

With the support of my Marketing Director & Vice President for confectionery I have recently progressed to Marketing & Sponsorship Lead for Northern Europe, which allows me to work with some of the sharpest minds in the business, across even more regions and leverage great partnerships for our epic brands. I could not ask for a better job!

What do you like about working at MDLZ?

Ultimately every day is challenging and more importantly, fun! Everyone is so passionate, we grow iconic and purposeful brands and work with some of the biggest stakeholders, prestigious football clubs & entertainment groups to add value, distinctive appeal & emotional connection during key cultural snacking moments for our consumers. No week is the same, and my time is usually split between working with our awesome agencies, passionate partners and developing campaign & strategy plans with our internal brand teams and customers. In addition to this we are encouraged to develop our skills with internal training courses and regular inspiring sessions from external peers. I usually round the week off with a Cadbury Caramel (from the fridge of course) and a check to see where I am ranked in our company Fantasy Football League (usually last, due to my blind faith towards Tottenham).

What is the most exciting project that you have worked on?

Impossible to list just one, so here are my top three. 1) Launching our digitally printed Football Club Bars. Each bar was unique to our consumers, they make the perfect gift! 2) Supporting hundreds of businesses up and down the UK by generously donating our sponsorship assets to local communities where we have rich heritage 3) Cadbury Daily Milk Limited Edition Queens Platinum Jubilee bars. As a Royal Warrant holder, we were lucky enough to sponsor the national event that unified the entire country and provided some memorable family moments, with snacking at its heart.

What is your biggest learning experience since working with us?

The empowerment, transparency and support from our leadership teams. We are lucky enough to have exposure and frequent connects with our senior leaders. This creates a supportive learning environment for us all to thrive, given their focus on career development and empowerment.

How would you describe the work culture at Mondelēz International and within your function?

MDLZ is an extremely welcoming place where people encourage you to bring your own ideas, respect your views and challenge each other to drive growth for the business. Outside of the day to day, the company is very focused on career development, a stretch mentality and offering the right opportunities aligned to your skillset. Naturally working in such a diverse environment means I get to meet some amazing people, who bring global experience and cultural diversity.

What is your favourite brand?

Cadbury Dairy Milk is undoubtedly the best tasting milk chocolate in the world! I remember my grandfather bringing me and my siblings a bar every Sunday growing up, and it being the best part of the week. In recent times, it is my go-to gift for visiting people, and it is also used daily in our house to bribe our kids into tidying their rooms.

How do you flex-work?

With my job taking me up and down the country on a weekly basis, I try to work from the office twice a week to get some facetime with my inspirational line manager and team (plus visit the staff shop!), and then arrange external meetings around school drop off and agency calls. I’ll often be lucky enough to attend a midweek football game with one of our partner clubs, where we will discuss our shared values and how we can play a key role in the community to drive generosity and authenticity.

What advice would you give someone that wants to join MDLZ in the Marketing function?

If you are not already, be prepared to fall in love with our brands as they continue to energetically grow connections with our consumers, and make sure you always bring chocolate to meetings!