Manager RGM Pricing at Coca-Cola Europacific Partners
I did my work-study Master's degree at Ferrero and had chosen the EM Normandie specialisation "Sales and Marketing Strategy".
About April, I started sending out applications to find a job. And finally, I was lucky enough to be able to apply for the graduate programme at Coca-Cola, a company where I still work to this day.
The graduate programme process involves several days of interviews and assessments. At the end of the programme, I was finally selected and was able to join the company from 1 September.
The Coca-Cola graduate programme runs over 3 years, with each year the opportunity to explore a different position.
I started with a sales position in the food industry. This involves going to hypermarkets or supermarkets.
The second year is spent away from home. This is a sales position with wholesalers such as Metro Cash & Carry. These companies sell our products to restaurants.
This experience gained over 3 years has enabled us to move up to a managerial position within the company and join a new team with new objectives.
The benefits of the Coca-Cola graduate programme
During the first year, you join the agri-food sector. So you need to get up to speed quickly, which means knowing your customers well as well as what's expected in the job.
You have to pick up on the first bits of information very quickly and be hyper-reactive to everything we're asked to do. You have to be able to respond quickly to the expectations of the company and its customers.
This programme enabled me to gain two years of insight into the field, with the food industry on one side and the out-of-home sector on the other. My third year as a project manager also gave me a strategic vision.
All these skills acquired over 3 years serve me well in my current position as manager.
This programme gives you a fairly comprehensive view of the company. It enables us to know what we need to put in place to achieve an objective and to anticipate the repercussions that our choices may have.
Proud to work for a great brand
I'm super proud to be able to get into this type of company. It was an opportunity that I had and that I seized immediately. I'm still very grateful for it.
First of all, it's an extremely well-known company with a strong love of the brand.
It's great to be able to work every day on products that make the French dream and that are associated with pleasure.
The brand is also associated with many major world events such as the World Cup and the Olympic Games.
It's a real pleasure to be able to get up in the morning and know that you're going to be working for a brand that you've known since you were a kid. When you join, it becomes possible to work on the strategy of these brands.
Daily life at Coca-Cola
I'm a pricing manager. My day-to-day work focuses on three main tasks, namely drafting the general terms and conditions of sale for our various customers, analysing our prices and building the pricing grid in conjunction with various departments.
This price list is intended for our food and household customers. It enables us to sell our products and distribute them to consumers.
At Coca-Cola, we have the opportunity to change jobs several times in our career.
For example, some people start on supply chain and end up in a sales position. So it's possible to discover new professions and new missions that you hadn't thought of when you joined the company.
The challenge of the food industry
There are many challenges in the agri-food sector. Consumers regularly change the way they consume, and we need to be able to meet their demands.
There's also a challenge with distributors because relationships can sometimes be strained. It's a challenge to go along with them and make them understand that they can make money and that we can bring back a new vision in line with their customers' needs.
The other facet is about discovery because we're in a very fluid market. New types of products are emerging all the time.
It's hyper satisfying to evolve in a world that's moving in the consumer's direction and changing perpetually.
Feedback
When I arrived at EM Normandie, I had a very low level of English. I consider this language to be essential in business today.
If I had to do it all over again, I would have taken a lot more time to master it better. I would have taken advantage of my three years at EM Normandie to improve it even more.
In large groups like Coca-Cola, the majority of our work is done in English.
To get up to speed, I had to work in my spare time to perfect my skills. It would have been better if I'd done more work beforehand to be ready as soon as I took up the job.
On the digital and ecological side, I think there are also great opportunities to be seized. So it's important to look at these issues before joining the company to better meet the needs of recruiters.
