LIBERATO’S TESTIMONIAL Before finishing my MBA I attended a Nestlé recruitment presentation. At the time, Nestlé’s slogan was “Bringing food to life” and I remember thinking – if I have to work until I am 65, well, bringing food to life sounds good to me. Actually, Nestlé was a perfect match. I liked the company’s decentralized marketing approach, which really takes into consideration local customs and needs. Since food is a local business, understanding different cultures is vital.
As an International Marketing & Sales Trainee you see everything: finance, administration, production, sales, marketing, etc. Then you work back and forth in marketing and sales until you are finally assigned to a market. In Argentina, I had a sales team reporting to me and was responsible for Nestlé sales through three nationwide trade customers. It gave me experience in meeting objectives, people management and managing deadlines under high pressure. Afterwards I worked in marketing and was in charge of the culinary business in Argentina. The business needed to be restructured and refocused. For one of our culinary brands I participated in the creation of a joint venture.
The International Marketing & Sales Trainee programme is hands-on and a great way to learn about international marketing and sales, gradually taking on more responsibility as you change positions in different commercial areas and in different markets. The working environment is absolutely fantastic. People took the training seriously, but had fun.
After Argentina, I was promoted to the Headquarters in Switzerland where I‘m now responsible for liaison between different Latin American markets. I am also the coordinator for the clinical, infant and performance nutrition business from Canada down to Argentina.
An international career is what I always wanted and what I certainly got! This morning I was on the phone to Colombia where we are dealing with unions. Half an hour later I was in a meeting looking at worldwide coffee sales and trying to prepare the information in order to be able to decide on an adequate sourcing strategy. I don’t know if there are many companies where you find such a fast-paced international work environment.
I enjoy my work, am hungry for more, and am very satisfied with the very challenging and privileged life I lead.
It is hard to say where I will be in the future. As an international expatriate you are like a worldwide trouble-shooter. You are often parachuted into the hot spot. If something needs to be done in Panama, you go to Panama. Nestlé is a big company with big brands, but it is run locally. If you want to be in the centre of things, you have to work in a market.