Simon believes the Carlsberg graduate programme can really accelerate your career. "It puts you in front of the right people and, if you are doing well, you are rewarded very quickly," he says. "I was in a senior management role within two years of joining."
Simon had already completed a graduate programme at a UK-based electronic components group when he joined the first Carlsberg International Training scheme. But there was little similarity.
Fast-track management development
"Carlsberg’s is more of a fast-track management development programme than a conventional graduate scheme, and there are far greater opportunities to work internationally," he says.
Simon joined as Distribution Project Manager at Carlsberg UK’s national distribution centre, before moving to the supply chain planning department of Carlsberg Denmark. His final placement took him into the corporate supply chain, where he worked on more strategic, group-wide projects across Europe.
"It was excellent experience," he says. "My projects covered all facets of the business from planning and budgeting to forecasting and optimisation, with the opportunity to see how the business worked operationally in two different countries and strategically on an international level."
Make the most of it
Simon’s programme finished two months early when he was offered the job of Demand & Capacity Manager back in the UK. Since then, he has worked in operational, strategic and project management roles for Carlsberg in the UK and Denmark. Today he is head of supply chain planning, working closely with network optimisation to determine the best way to produce and sell Carlsberg’s products across the world.
"If you get the opportunity, make the most of it," he says. "It’s perhaps the one time you can try things out and gain experience at the highest level with a "safety net" of people to support you. So don’t be afraid to take the chance."