After studying for her Masters of Business Administration in Sweden and Spain, and working for a Swiss fmcg company, the Carlsberg graduate programme appealed to Marie because it offered even more international experience while developing her marketing skills in a global company.
She joined Carlsberg Sweden as a marketing trainee, working first with the key account managers then moving into brand management for the mineral water range.
A proper job
"I liked that the fact that the programme is a proper job," she says. " It’s about real projects and learning by doing, which means you really learn a lot. It’s a great feeling to see a new product that you have helped to develop out in the market."
If that experience was good, her second year was "brilliant". Working for Carlsberg Malaysia gave her the chance to experience a completely different way of life and of doing business.
"Everything was totally different - from how we operate in the market to the way you speak to or approach people," she explains. "But my colleagues were really supportive so it wasn’t difficult to adapt. The biggest challenge was finding my way around in the car – I was constantly lost for weeks!"
Marie decided to stay on in Malaysia and would recommend the programme to other graduates.
Identifying opportunities
"The Carlsberg programme gives you opportunities to get involved in a lot of different cross-functional projects and activities that you might not get in other positions," she says. "And you gain the cultural experience of living and working in another country."
Networking with the other graduates and international colleagues is also a big bonus. "It’s been great fun and we’ve developed a real bond between us," she says.
"All of our experiences have been different. The programme is not structured in detail so it’s about identifying your opportunities and taking responsibility for your own learning to get what you want out of it."