At C&D Foods, our ability to deliver innovative products and valuable market insights for our customers is anchored in the talent and passion of our people.
The world of pet nutrition is constantly evolving, and, as we grow and continue to answer the needs of furry companions and their pawrents, we are also investing in growing our team with fresh talent through our graduate recruitment scheme. In this blog, we catch up with Alex Hastings, who joined us straight from completing his degree at Galway university just 18 months ago, and is now responsible for his own accounts as part of our commercial team.
Embedding knowledge
“It’s unbelievable to think that I had never even visited the UK or France before I joined C&D Foods,” says Alex, “and now I’ve lived in both countries thanks to my job, as well as having the opportunity to visit so many countries across Europe that I don’t have enough fingers to count them on!”
Originally from Ireland, Alex flew straight out to join the category management team in Boulogne-sur-Mer when he accepted a role with our graduate recruitment programme. Supported with French language lessons and colleagues who introduced him to their own friends outside of work, he quickly became part of the team and began learning about the pet food industry.
“I joined the company as an account executive with the goal of being part of the commercial team,” explains Alex, “but category management was an excellent place to begin my career with C&D Foods because I was totally immersed in market data and trends from day one. Category management is the engine room of the strategic advice and insights we offer customers and, for me, it was a fantastic learning ground to really get under the skin of the pet food market, how it varies across Europe, and how C&D uses that knowledge to add value for our customers.”
Alex was given varied responsibilities from the beginning of his role in France, including developing presentations for customers and keeping datasheets up to date. He was also supported and encouraged to learn, with visits to retail stores included in his development journey to give him a complete understanding of the journey from product concept to shelf.
Customer facing
After six months in France, Alex moved back to Ireland to spend some time at our Mullingar site, where, with a colleague to guide him, he began to learn the responsibilities and processes of our commercial team. He then moved to Manchester, where he took on account executive responsibilities for a variety of customers, before, more recently, being given the account manager remit for our customers in the Nordics.
“I start the week by putting together my sales report,” explains Alex, “providing an overview of the highlights of the previous week and any challenges we need to be aware of. I also look ahead to the production requirements and stock for the current week to make sure we’re on track to fulfil our customer orders. We have a weekly sales call and I like knowing that my input into that call is important and valued, leveraging my experience and relationships with customers.
“But what I love most about my role is the interaction with customers,” he continues. “Building those relationships and making sure I’m providing customers with the right market intelligence and service levels is core to my role. I am a people person and the communication skills needed for my role really play to my strengths.”
Alex has learned a lot about pet food over the past year and a half too.
“Making a detour to the pet aisle every time I got to the supermarket has become an occupational hazard,” Alex smiles, because I am always curious to see what brands and retailers are doing, and where that fits with my own accounts and markets. It’s crazy to think that just a couple of years ago I had no idea that there was so much to learn, but the C&D Foods graduate scheme has been a fast track to career progression and understanding the industry, and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”
