Tom Siddall – National Account Manager We hear from Tom Siddall, National Account Manager who has been at the Bega Group for six year and seven days (but who is counting). He shares what his role involves, how he’d describe the culture at the Bega Group and what keeps him personally here day to day. What I do day to day and the skills involved I really enjoy the National Account Manager role, as not every day is the same. It might sound cliché to say that, but honestly, every day is different. I’m accountable for Aldi and Costco supermarkets when it comes to the Bega Group products and this involves growth of our footprint day to day, ensuring visibility of our products and ensuring consumers can access our wonderful products easily. I think what makes day to day so different for me, is that my role is a bit unique in that it covers all categories for the Bega Group – which means that I’m one of the only Account Managers in grocery who look after all categories. I get to work cross functionally with how we procure from overseas, input into different pricing structures, and learn about peanut farms and production. Day to day this means that I get to work with a great diverse range of people internally and externally and I certainly get up with a pep in my step. This doesn’t mean that the role doesn’t come with its challenges and tough times given the single point of contact and knowledge needed, but there are certainly more ups than downs. I thought I knew the business well and realised that I knew probably about 15% and I’m still learning every day. In addition to this, I have a very supportive leader in Jamie Hickey GAICD who understands the Bega Group really well and is very supportive of me. I knew it would be a challenge, but I didn’t realise how much I’d enjoy the actual challenges that were presented to me. The amount of education needed in the role of key stakeholders and the importance of storytelling relating to the retailers that I work with and the ability to contribute towards financial opportunity as well as strategic opportunities has been really rewarding. When I think about the skills in the role, it is a very analytical role with a need to understand the trends in market through data, derive insights and use this to drive conversation. I find most retailers appreciate your knowledge in the space, so I also feel that I’ve become a bit of an educator given my knowledge in the space. With this comes the need to be able to communicate, especially when juggling the different hats and importantly mould or adapt your communication style to the buyer or audience at the time. Lastly skill wise I think project management is up there. We have a Project Management Office (PMO) at the Bega Group but I’m managing key components from inception when the brief lands on the P&L with finance, through to engagement with the PMO team who partner on aspects around labelling and bottling all the while working towards a launch date for a product. How the Bega Group Innovates Most recently something that springs to mind when it comes to innovation in the last few months has been understanding for us as an organisation that if we want to continue to engage with evolving and emerging retailers we have to think outside the box and challenge the status quo. I think a lot of people don’t realise the extent of the brand portfolio and we are going through an evolution of how we bring this together – it is a really exciting time to continue to innovate with customers and continue to increase our relevance as a player in the market and use this to drive our branded presence. When it comes to exciting projects a key piece that was a real door opener for me was when I stepped into a space as a Key Account Manager and a retailer approached us about a certain product – in particular white milk. With this product we were able to launch an 11 million litre contract to be delivered in 1 year, all in the space of two weeks. This is the stuff that is very exciting! I certainly didn’t do this on my own, there were so many teams involved to achieve this. I’m really lucky as I’ve worked in some awesome teams and have made some great connections. I only have positive things to say, it is a really positive place. Leaders have been very good at being there for you, having an ‘open door’ so you can easily approach them, and there are regular updates on where we are at as an organisation and the broader context. If I had to use three words to describe the Bega Group it would be exhilarating, challenging, and rewarding all at the same time. What keeps you at the Bega Group and what advice would you have for others? Originally, the business I was employed by was acquired by the Bega Group. I love big brands. I did photography at university and did a lot to do with brands in this space. The power of the brand and portfolio attracted me, and I thought how great to be a part of that. Taking something that is ingrained in this culture (some of the key products sold) and ensuring that it continues. Day to day it’s about the aspirational side of when you work for a business like this, the Bega Group has big plans for where they want to take this business and I want to help with this journey. And I would love to help contribute towards every household having a Bega Group product. Working for an Australian company is also great. In terms of advice for others seeking to develop their career, I’d take a step back and encourage individuals to reflect on what their development plans are and what is available at their employer. I’ve always sought mentors in the space that can help guide me in my career. Over my time I’ve built up a tool kit that has provided different skills and have had different movements that have made me ready for this role. Sometimes people can be fixated on a certain role or space but being open to opportunities is really important. Being open to roles has enabled me to explore different opportunities in my career here as I’ve moved from a Territory Manager role into an Account Executive role and also explored different experiences as part of lateral moves. Really when it comes to a career at the Bega Group it is what you make of it. You can either come in and perform a set role if that is your preference or you can own your development and make your opportunities. For our current opportunities Click Here, to join out Talent Community sign up for Job Alerts Click Here.