Tuesday, January 03, 2023

What attracted you to joining Mondelēz?

I joined Mondelēz on the graduate program through the merger with Kraft when Mondelēz z was still a fairly young global company, and since then my career growth and learning has never stopped. The opportunity to work on iconic local & global brands were what fascinated me about this business, and the breadth of opportunity presented has been truly amazing over the last 9 years.

I have had the opportunity to work on many different brands and categories including Cadbury Dairy Milk, Cadbury Favourites, Oreo & working on key events and sponsorships, and since my graduate rotations all those years ago, the opportunities for career growth and learning have been endless. Throughout my time at Mondelēz there have been many opportunities for growth through both lateral moves & promotions which have provided me with new roles and challenges internally. And of course, over the last 9 years I’ve developed wonderful friendships with some amazing colleagues at Mondelēz – working with great people can make even the most challenging days enjoyable!

Some of your favourite moments so far at Mondelēz?

One of my first highlights was working on the Cadbury sponsorship of the 2016 Rio Olympic & Paralympic Games, and working directly with ambassadors Anna Meares, Sally Pearson & Dylan Alcott. This truly ignited my love for marketing & partnerships, it was a surreal experience to see the work I was doing out in the market being enjoyed by consumers & it was clear that marketing would be the career I would like to pursue.

I’ve had the pleasure of working on many new products over the time, some highlights would be Cadbury Dream with Oreo, a range of Cadbury Dairy Milk blocks launches, Cadbury Favourites Dark Edition & more recently Oreo Double Stuff Cinnamon Bun – both delicious products!

From an activation perspective, the highlight has been creating the World’s Biggest Cadbury Favourites box – seeing this box, standing 10 meters tall with the backdrop of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and literally dangling Ash London over the box to try to win $1m for a consumer was one of the proudest moments of my career to date. Not only was it an amazing day but delivered amazing results for the company & our customers.

I’m currently working as Senior Brand Manager on Oreo and have the pleasure of leading our partnership with Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras & Sydney WorldPride 2023 which has been exciting & fulfilling in an entirely different way.

What do you think people can expect from a career with Mondelēz?

New joiners can expect a range of great brands and opportunities and to meet great people along the way. There are incredibly talented people at Mondelēz and even better brands – it’s a privilege to be a custodian to this portfolio of brands.

There is also huge diversity in the roles – within the different brands I’ve worked on across chocolate and biscuits, every brand has presented different opportunities to learn, from local manufacturing of Cadbury Dairy Milk blocks in Claremont, to Cadbury Favourites in Ringwood, and learning the world of importing products on Oreo, each opportunity has presented lots to learn.

What is unique about working a role in marketing at Mondelēz?

The privilege of working on some of not only the biggest brands in Australia, but the world – I’m currently working on Oreo which is the world’s #1 biscuit! The love and passion that consumers have for our brands provides us with constant fuel, and the challenges and strength in the marketplace of the brands create a positive working environment, bringing out the best in our teams. It is unique to work at a company with leading brands across so many categories.

What does flexibility mean for you?

For me, it’s the opportunity to work how & where I want to work. Even before the pandemic could work from home when needed, & always felt trusted that would get work done. That might mean going out for a walk at lunchtime to clear my head, flexible start, or finish times to fit in a pilates class, coming in to see the team for collaboration on a couple of days of the week & working from home the others!

How would you describe the working culture?

With the privilege of working on brands that consumers love comes a high expectation, we work hard & deliver great results but there is always support from the team, and there are great people at MDLZ which makes it a great place to work. There’s been a lot of focus on flexible working the last couple of years & great support throughout the pandemic, and that flexibility has continued as we’ve settled into our new hybrid ways of working.

What advice do you have for someone considering an opportunity with Mondelēz?

I would definitely recommend going for it – it is a great place to grow a career with many opportunities to learn whilst working on some of the country’s most iconic brands.