Christina – Supply Services
Demand Planner
Name: Christina
Nationality: German
Where I work for RB: Germany – Supply Services
Career: While they may be familiar with the brands, it seems comparatively few graduates are familiar with Reckitt Benckiser when they begin the search for their first job.
Luckily for me, I had both heard of and used Mortein, Finish and Strepsils and this assisted me in identifying and applying for a job with the company.
I’d always wanted to do something truly international. With this in mind I spent half a year in Australia learning English after finishing school. Returning home, I began an International Business degree at the International School of Management in Dortmund. During this time I undertook work experience with a number of companies, including in sales at Siemens AG in Düsseldorf, in controlling at Hamann International S.A. in Barcelona and in export consulting at Exportise Pty Ltd in Sydney.
It was work experience in the transport sector in Spain that – together with my first lecture in logistics – sparked my interest in the supply and trade sector.
After a semester abroad in Cádiz, Spain, and an extremely valuable internship with an export consulting firm in Sydney, Australia, I began writing my thesis about a national warehouse-related project at DHL Exel Supply Chain in Germany.
My next stop was (again) Australia. I completed my International Business Degree at the International College of Management, Sydney, at the end of 2006, before spending an additional semester at Macquarie University, graduating with a Master of International Business in 2007.
I began looking for a job with an international company, and came across Reckitt Benckiser. I was delighted to be offered a position as Management Trainee in Supply Services, and began working here at the end of 2007.
Eighteen months on and I’ve finished my trainee programme, during which I was given the opportunity not only to work in Demand Planning and Customer Service, but also as a sales representative and on a trainee managed project. Farther afield, I spent three months in the UK working in RB’s healthcare sector – all experiences that have broadened my understanding of our business.
Having recently returned to Germany, I’ve now become a Demand Manager and am responsible for forecasting my own brands. While there’s much about the business I’m yet to learn, I now know there’s a lot more to RB than Mortein, Finish, and Strepsils!
