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BSc Chemistry with Computational Chemistry
University of Nottingham |
Food Technologist
"The thing I really love about my job is being able to combine creativity with science "
"I am currently half way through my second placement on the Cadbury Science & Technology (S&T) Graduate Scheme. I have been working in Melbourne for our Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) business unit in the S&T department as a food technologist on bars and seasonal products. Having completed my first 12 month rotation in a similar role at our Bournville site, I was looking for something quite different out of my next placement. I saw the 12 month secondment to the Australian business advertised on our company intranet, so I raised the question as to whether a graduate could fill this position as part of the programme - it took off from there and within about 2 months I was out here. Although on paper the role is not as differentiated from my first role, the challenges and opportunities have been vastly different and I have learnt many different things already. Although there are a few similarities, responsibilities, processes and procedure for a food tech. are really quite different in Cadbury ANZ - so I had to learn a lot all over again! But the experiences in my first role have proved invaluable in allowing me to pick things up quickly. I have gained exposure to wide range of different products and processes, but have also worked more closely with other functions/departments than previously.
"Cadbury is huge in Australia - for example, in moulded blocks we have 70% of the market - this is closer to 30% in the UK. The average Australian believes Cadbury originates in Australia! The product portfolio is much vaster and there are more new launches every year - meaning more new product development projects for S&T. I now appreciate the truly global nature of a business such as Cadbury and stand as evidence of the possibilities this creates!
"I've now been living in Melbourne for 5 months. The company has really looked after me, I was put up in an apartment whilst I worked with a relocation advisor to find somewhere suitable to rent. I was given a relocation allowance and cost-of-living adjustment. I've also been given a company car to allow me to commute to work. Plus I've got to keep all the benefits of being a UK graduate.
"The thing I really love about my job is being able to combine creativity with science - we have the opportunity to brainstorm and play around with ingredients and ideas. But we also have to consider the recipe and process impacts of combining certain ingredients - fat chemistry is something I've come across again and again - which directly relates to my degree.
"Also, the multi-functional nature of product development always keeps things interesting, through having to interact with so many different stakeholders and departments such as; marketing, finance, engineering, supply chain, procurement, forecast planning, consumer insights... and many more.
"Finally, when I first joined, I had never anticipated the opportunities to travel and number of different sights I'd get to visit - which has been brilliant."