Thanks for reading me! We’re on a mission to update our careers website with some fresh and relevant career stories, and to tell those stories through Linkedin and ‘blogs’.
We’ve selected you as someone we think would be a great ‘blogger’ who has a lovely story to tell and we’d like to link your story to National Careers Week – March 1st-6th 2021. If you can think of how your story links to this theme when you answer the questions, that would be great.
We’d really love it if you could answer the questions below and ping them back to us. When you answer the questions, be informal, and aim to write in a style like you’d talk to your friends, (minus any expletives of course!).
Please send this completed form back to lzk@weetabix.com
Thanks in advance 😊
What’s your role? Tell us a bit about what it is you’re responsible for (imagine you’re explaining it to your granny), and how that helps make Weetabix Food Company successful…
I work as part of the Finance team and currently I am an FP&A Business Partner (Financial, Planning & Analysis). Essentially, I am responsible for creating monthly financial reports to present to the board of directors. In this role, I work closely with the other teams within finance as there is input from all the teams, whether it be for month end or even our forecasting process. Alongside this, I business partner our commercial & support teams directors. My role continually develops, with no two days the same and I like how this role is so varied and it keeps me on my toes.
How long have you been at Weetabix? Tell us why you applied too…
I have worked at Weetabix since October 2018. Since I had moved to Northamptonshire, it was a company I didn’t realise was so close to my home and that drew me to wanting to work here, especially as I had grown up eating Weetabix (always has to be warmed up in the microwave with milk for 1 and a half minutes!). I had heard a lot of great things from people who I know.
What’s it like to work at Weetabix? Think about what prospective employees would want to hear… things like the people, perks, responsibility, development etc…
Weetabix is one of the best companies I have worked for. The culture ensures that all employees feel included, that they are happy and feel comfortable in the place where they work. There is a sense of feeling and belonging at Weetabix and that you are Making The Difference. We even have our own recognition scheme where you can nominate your colleagues to show them your appreciation. The people at Weetabix are great, everyone is very friendly and there is always a smile on people’s faces as they enjoy what they do. Weetabix makes sure that they are an attractive company to work for by providing great perks, from things such as a competitive pension scheme (which may not mean much to many of us right now) to perks like flexible working hours and the staff shop of course.
What do you most enjoy about working at Weetabix? This is where we’d love to know why you’ve stayed – what keeps you coming back every day, why you joined etc… This can be really unique to you!
Weetabix really look after their employees and it is nice to know that you are valued. I have been given the opportunity to move across different teams in Finance to gain more experience and knowledge of how the business operates and the support is there to help me develop my career further.
There is always something going on around the site, whether it be a charity event or even just cakes in the office and working in a large team it’s always someone’s birthday, so you are never short of a sweet treat!
What’s it like to work in Finance?
The finance team is brilliant, it’s like a family!!
It is a busy team to work in, there is never a dull or quiet moment and there is always some sort of improvement project going on to get stuck in to. There are often opportunities to get involved in projects outside of your job role where you can add value. For example, I got involved with a payroll process project. It was exciting to be asked to work as the finance representative as it was a project that affected everyone in the business in one way or another.
Why did you choose a career in Finance?
I studied Accounting & Finance at university and ever since graduating I have had a role within a Finance function. I have really enjoyed how each finance function can look after very different things and it is learning all those aspects which I look forward to. The reason why I wanted to work in finance is because I wanted to know how a business operated, and I believe that finance is a function that brings it all together. This is what keeps it exciting and you know what the whole business is doing.
What advice do you have for anyone looking to start a career in Finance?
If you are looking to start a career in Finance, I would advise that you make sure you do your research on which areas within Finance you are really interested in. Especially in a large company there are quite a few teams that look after a lot of different areas, some you may enjoy and some not so much. You want to make sure you do something you enjoy and love waking up for every morning.
What opportunities have you had whilst at Weetabix? We’re not just looking for job moves here… but how Weetabix has developed you in role. What has made you better having worked here?
Weetabix have supported me in gaining my professional qualification and in 2020 I became a qualified accountant. It was very challenging as I had to adapt to going to college remotely and even taking my exams at home, which wasn’t easy as there was a lot of distraction! The hard work paid off though and it was a major achievement which I wouldn’t have been able to do with the support from Weetabix and my colleagues!
Anything you’d like to share with us about your role? We’re looking for unique stuff here – stuff that’s challenged you but that you’ve learnt from it, the hard stuff you can look back on and smile about, the small stuff that others might take for granted etc.
What do you love doing outside of work? To give us a flavour of you outside of work
Usually I love to travel, but over the last 12 months that’s been non-existent, so instead I have been able to spend more time doing my second love which is outdoor bootcamps. I tend to do 3/4 bootcamp sessions a week which get very muddy and wet! The longest bootcamp session I did was 6 hours long and it was one of the best sessions I had, it included tyre flips, stone ball carries, monkey bars, deadlifting a car, keg throws, crawling through tyres and a lot more…
