A Day in the Life of Matteo Marchese, European Brand Manager of K-snacks at Kellogg
Interviews
In this week’s ‘A Day in the Life of' interview, Kellogg’s Matteo Marchese provides an insight into his role as European Brand Manager of K-snacks.
Hi Matteo, can you tell us a bit about your role and how you got here?
I joined Kellogg in April 2018. I started as a trainee in marketing working on Special K cereals in the Italian office in Milan. After a year, I moved to sales as a field sales representative covering more than 100 stores in the area around Milan. It was a great opportunity to put my hands on our products and understand what happens on ‘the other side’ once products are on shelf. After a year I felt ready to go back to marketing and had the opportunity to move to Dublin as an assistant brand manager – still on Special K cereals – working on some great projects with many different markets. After 2 years here I am. I now manage 4 different snacks brands across Europe working on innovation, media campaigns, packaging, partnerships and many more projects…challenging but exciting!
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
My goal is to keep on growing in marketing, but in order to improve it’s fundamental to make experiences in other fields: sales, trade marketing, digital just to name a few. So even if my destination is clear the journey will be an exciting discovery depending on the opportunity that I’ll have.
What does a typical day look like for you?
Everyday we work with many different colleagues from all the departments. I might work on a new product innovation with the food team and supply chain, develop new digital assets with agencies and the media team, or have a conversation with the local markets on the performance of the products I manage. I never have a dull day!
What part of your role do you enjoy the most?
I love the versatility of my job, jumping from one project to another, working with a wide range of great colleagues all around Europe and learning something new every day
What skills are vital for this role and why?
1. Organization: when you work on so many different projects and deal with many people it’s key to be on top of everything, otherwise deadlines won’t be met and projects might be at risk!
2. Flexibility and a ‘can do attitude’ (or how we call it at Kellogg – make it happen!) as every day there might be a new problem that needs a new solution. So we have to be ready to stop what we are doing and focus on something else, and revisiting our priorities.
What’s the most challenging aspect of your role?
As we work in an FMCG company, we have to be fast! Things keep on changing, projects get cancelled and new opportunities pop up when you least expect it. It might be tough, but we have to embrace the ‘chaos’ and turn it into a success.
How do you help others feel like they belong in your team or promote inclusion?
As an expat I know first-hand how tough it can be to integrate, so it was great to have received the support of so many colleagues when I moved to Dublin. That’s what I’m trying to do now as it’s important to dedicate some time for coffees and catch up, and to get to know people (whether they are new joiners or simply someone you don’t know well) and help/support as much as we can. As a team we also have two informal catch ups every week to make sure we spend some time together getting to know each other and building a sense of belonging to the team. On top of this I’m also part of the K-pride and allies BERG (Business Employees Resource Group) as we want to make sure that we all feel free to be who we are in a welcoming working environment.
Which podcast or Youtube series would you recommend to someone interested in pursuing a career in this area to help develop their skills/prepare them for the role?
Anything that makes you laugh and disconnect. There's no need to think about work when you are not working!
WORKFAIR 2022
If you are looking for a new role with an inclusive employer, don't forget to sign up to our free careers fair WorkFair 2022 on October 19, here.
