Customer Marketing Executive Intern Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my placement at Pernod Ricard. The products at Pernod Ricard made the role very exciting, I was able to work on a wide variety of projects and brands. I also enjoyed the working environment at Pernod Ricard, the open-plan Office space fostered good working relationships and allowed me to gain an understanding of the different functions of the company.

I felt extremely valued by my collegues not only in my immediate team but also cross functionally. Within my team, I was able to work with a number of memebers across a variety of projects and was made to feel that my work was really helping to contribute to the Team's success. Further, I also worked with collegues in the Brand Team/Finance Team and Operations Team all of whom were extrmeley helpful and grateful for the help/work I contributed.

My manager was commited to supporting me throughout my internship. Objectives were set at the start of the proogramme and she ensured that these were fulfilled throughout my placement. Further, my manager was always on hand to offer help/guidance with any project I was assigned. My team also offered a level of support too and felt that help was always at hand when required.

The business of the role varied throughout the placement. Due to the nature of the industry, different seasons meant work load was influenced e.g. busy during the Christmas period. I felt like my work load increased in the second half of my placement when I was able to complete tasks on my own with a smaller amount of support required from my manager.

The level of responsibility increased throughout the placement. Initially, every task I was assigned required sign off by my manager but towards the end of my internship, I was given a much higher level of autonomy. I went on to complete my own projects and was able to make decisions on my own where necessary.

I truly believe that my experience at Pernod Ricard has equipped me with relevant, invaluable skills that will enable me to pursue a career in my chosen industry- FMCG. Not only did I learn specific processes related to Customer Marketing, I also gained a wider variety of skils i.e. from managing brand budgets and submitting invoices. I also gained skills in communication which was key when liaising with our Marketing Agency on a daily basis.

There was a very friendly atmosphere in the office. All collegues I worked with at Pernod Ricard were kind and helpful and I beleive this heavily influenced the great atmosphere. There were often events held at the bar aread e.g. before product launch which were a lot of fun. Finally, the offices themselves are new and open planned which meant that there was a very collaborative working environment.

The Pernod Ricard Placement was relatively well organised. Myobjectives were set at the start of the placeent which meant that the structure of the year was set out from the outset- i knew what was expected from me and was helped to achieve these. All Placement students were also included in training sessions (compulsory or voluntary)- these session also offered structure to the placement.

All Placement students were encouraged to take part in both Voluntary and Compulsory trainging and development sessions alongside full-time employees which gave us a sense of value. I was also encouraged to attend team meetings out of the office environment and made to feel like a realy valuble team member. My manager was keen to ensure that I developed specific skills over the period that would aid me in my future carreer.

I was encouraged to apply for positions within the company for when my Placement was completed. There are regular positions becoming avaiable and Pernod Ricard would definitly be a company I would like to return to after my placement is completed. There is also a lot of internal movement within the company and across to sister comapny, Chivas Brothers.

All placement students became great friends over the placement year. As pernod Ricard is part of a Business Park, there were restaurants and Bars on site that we often visited at lunch time/after work together. Due to nature of the alcohol industry, everyone was very sociable and I attended a couple of industry events that were brilliant for networking and socialising with colleagues.

As Pernod Ricard HQ are based in Chiswick, London, the cost of living and socialising is extremely high. I was able to commute in from home but understand that rent would make living very difficult. As Pernod Ricard offered a paid placement, this enabled some of the placement students to live in the area and socialise as and when they wanted to.

There are a good number of Pubs nearby and the office has brilliant links to Central London- the office is a 2 minute walk from the Tube Station so getting into town is very easy. I was also invited to many events in association with Pernod Ricard which were a short commute from the office.

Pernod Ricard offered a range of lunch time activities such as Yoga, Table tennis and Run Club. These were great activities that enabled you to socialise with other colleagues. Chiswick Business Park also offers a range of activities weekly e.g footbal tournaments that i am aware some placement sudents got involved in regularly.