After graduating in Economics from University, I spent my first job selling vouchers door-to-door. This experience made me realise that selling was not my strong point and that’s when I started looked for buying roles. After 6 months of working for another organisation and applying for other jobs, I was invited for an interview with UB for a Junior Buyer role. Based just outside of London, with strong brands, a pan European presence, and real chances of career progression and training, this was the opportunity I needed.
I joined the team, which deal with the supply and risk management around our key chocolate and vegetable oils portfolio. This was completely new to me but I had the support and knowledge passed down to me from my line manager whenever it was needed, and six months into my UB career I was given my own buying portfolio to manage.
Three years later I decided to change the focus of my work towards researching across our commodity markets. I had the opportunity to move into an exciting new area and prove that I could add value to the business in a new role as a Research Manager for Procurement.
UB is still the same friendly place it was when I started. To me, it’s an ethical and dynamic company with the right mix of career progression and training to suit ambitious and talented individuals.
Following University, I started my career with Endsleigh Insurance in a Sales role. I then moved into Insurance Claims and helped to set up a small Insurance Claim Handling company, where I became involved in Recruitment and Training, which started my career in HR. I wanted to move into a larger company to broaden my HR experience and the pace of FMCG and the strength of UB’s brands appealed to me. I joined UB's Teesside Manufacturing site as an HR Advisor and after 18 months was promoted to HR Business Partner at our Consett site, leading the HR team there.
After a further 18 months, I moved from manufacturing HR and relocated to our Head Office to provide HR support to the sales team, and to understand the commercial side of the business. This then expanded to support both the Sales and Marketing teams in the UK. During 2010 I began a secondment into Sales as a Business Account Manager. I find UB a fast paced, challenging, but supportive and fun environment to work in, where I have been able to drive my career progression, supported by the right development opportunities.
I graduated in Chemical Engineering and joined UB through the graduate programme in 1990 and have been here ever since. I had previously had a summer job working for Cadbury's in their Technical department, but decided UB was the place for me due to the people I had met during the recruitment process - they were my kind of people. I have to admit there have been no regrets ever since.
My first role in UB was at the Tollcross biscuit factory in Glasgow as a process supervisor. I have since worked at our Manufacturing sites in Halifax, returned to Tollcross, Carlisle and more recently at Teesside. I have always been factory based but not just within manufacturing. I have worked in planning and supplies, as well as a project lead role during the SAP implementation. I was Manufacturing Manager at Carlisle when the factory encountered devastating floods, with most of the factory up to 6 feet under water. It took ten weeks to get the first line up and running again afterwards. It was difficult at the time, but also very satisfying and rewarding to see the site recover.
In 2007 I became Factory General Manager at Carlisle and have recently moved across to the Snacks division to become the Factory General Manager of Teesside. I can truly say that there is never a dull moment at UB and there is always a fresh challenge around the corner.
My journey began with UB in 1997 as Site Engineer. During my time in this role, I gained a vast amount of knowledge and understanding, which gave me the confidence to be where I am now - a trained Technical Coordinator.
I started my Technical Coordinator role in 2009 and was thrown in the deep end, along with four other Advanced Team Members and another Technical Coordinator. The Technical Coordinator role was new to the Wigston site. Initially there was a creation of a manual for specific tasks for the Advanced Team Members to complete. There was a real sense of ownership for this as we started to take on various jobs from the engineers and give them to the Advanced Team Members.
I have also carried out the role of a mentor to the team, where they have achieved NVQ level 2 qualifications. This was a great site success and I am now in the process of mentoring for the NVQ level 3 qualifications.
One of my personal recent achievements for UB was within the Gems department. Working with a dedicated team we were able to have success in efficiency. I am able to help others gain the same experience and skills I have, and feel privileged that I saw the start of this process and help influence the future of ATM’s in their journey.
As an Account Director at UB, my role is to lead a team that manages some of our grocery customers within the commercial function. I started my career on a graduate programme with Marks and Spencer 11 years ago and have since worked for various blue chip businesses within the commercial arena, such as British Telecom, Sara Lee and PepsiCo. I really enjoy working in a professional sales role, from understanding our customers’ strategy and building compelling commercial proposals, through to seeing the results of outstanding visibility of our brands in the major grocery retailers.
Working in sales makes you feel that you are always in the driving seat. You are the interface between the customer and the business and ultimately generate the income for the business. Obviously commercial roles are highly demanding and you need to have a lot of drive, passion and personality to meet the requirements of the job.
I have been at UB for just over a year, I joined the business for many reasons. UB has a wide portfolio of infamous household brands that make selling them a real pleasure. Autonomy, responsibility and entrepreneurship were my key reasons to join UB and that is definitely a point of difference verses some of the other business I have worked in. UB is a fast paced FMCG business, like any other corporate business, however there is a real feeling of personal ownership and passion for supporting each other to achieve results. I felt really welcome and part of the team from my first day. I am given the freedom to make big decisions but also feel 100% supported at all levels.
In 1995 I was working as a football coach at Middlesborough Football Club and my contract was due to end that summer. Needing a job, I looked through local job adverts and came across a number of Team Member positions at KP Foods in Billingham. I knew from talking to family in the area that it had a solid reputation as a good employer and I felt I had what it would take to fit in.
I initially planned to stay for the 13-week trial period and then move back into football coaching, once I had saved enough money to purchase a new van to transport my equipment. I now sit here writing this some 15 years later and wonder where the time has gone!! I started with a 6-week packing role before moving on to a machine operator’s role, which I carried out for the next few years.
I was then given the opportunity to move into a machine technician’s role and work shifts. I did this until early 2003, after which I applied for the role of Advanced Team Member. I was successfully placed after a range of interviews and tests.
In 2005 I successfully applied for a Management development role, which gave me the opportunity over an 18 month training and development programme, to prove myself as Line Manager. I spent this time working in each department and learning the key skills. In July 2007, I was taken on as a Plant Line Manager within the McCoys line.
In April this year, I was again successful in an application for promotion to First Line Manager. I guess those initial 13 weeks got me hooked! A personal desire to achieve more, and a lot of hard work have seen me gain several promotions and my new van is a distant memory....
I started my employment career working for Crown Cork & Seal, a beverage can manufacturer. My first role was PA to the FGM, where I gained knowledge of our customer base and internal networks. My people and organisational skills developed quickly, this was recognised and I moved into a more commercial role. The next few years were spent liaising with customers and design houses on packaging designs, ensuring customer sign off at production and travelling to other plants within Europe.
I was offered a new role within Customer Services managing a key account, which involved being responsible for both Commercial and planning/forecasting for France, Greece and the UK. This was a brilliant opportunity, which gave me a taste of Global Supply Chain. During this time I developed a keen interest in supply chain and identified a number of areas to drive savings and efficiencies.
I joined UB as Supply Chain Development Manager. UB needed someone with knowledge of complex supply chains, good people and negotiations skills and the opportunity to progress. This was the role for me, and my research prior to the interview identified UB as a very successful company, with a focus on people development.
I have been with UB for three years now and benefited from a structured development plan. My peers have been incredibly generous in giving their knowledge, time and expertise to assist me in my role, but also in my development and career progression. Working in the logistics and supply chain function within UB has been a fantastic experience for me. We are an extremely high calibre team, who are forward thinking and constantly pushing the boundaries to drive supply chain efficiencies with our customers, with a big focus on sustainability.
After a successful career spanning 20 years in furniture and kitchen manufacturing, where I progressed from Foreman, to Manufacturing Manager, I felt I needed another challenge and saw the advert for a Team Manger at United Biscuits. This role matched my skills and although it was a different manufacturing environment, the role requirements attracted me to apply and I was successful so joined UB in 2009.
As well as personal development, I was attracted to the business by the brand name, McVitie's. It is a well-known company within the Glasgow area and has a reputation as a good company to work for, with a history of long-term employees, good training and development and a successful business.
After ten months as a Team Manger, I applied for a role as Manufacturing Change Lead. I was successful and have been in the current role since November 2009. During my time in UB I have had various forms of training and courses and I believe this has enabled me to develop my knowledge of the company and also to progress with my career.
I was in the process of completing my Post Graduate Diploma in Human Resource Management when I was approached about a HR Assistant role at UB in Glasgow. It sounded perfect for me as I wanted to gain experience of working within a fast paced manufacturing environment, and get some exposure to Trade Unions.
As a market leading Company, I wanted to work for UB because I knew the HR team would be focused on adding value and that I would be able to develop my business acumen. I was lucky enough to be offered the position and started after finishing my Post Graduate Diploma. I then completed my Masters in HR, in my spare time during my first three months of working at UB.
What I really enjoy about working for UB is the exposure I get to different aspects of HR and the opportunity to develop myself and progress. After a year as an HR Assistant, I applied and was successful in being promoted to an HR Advisor position; a role I have been working in for over two years now.
The best things about working for UB is that if you work hard, there are always opportunities to get involved in different projects and learn new things, and although you are part of a site team you are also part of a bigger functional HR community that you can build relationships within and be part of company wide initiatives.
I started my career on the Management Graduate Scheme at Mars. Following experience in both Procurement and Marketing, working across Mars Drinks’ UK Division and Mars Food – Uncle Ben’s, I decided that a career in Marketing was what I wanted to pursue.
I joined UB just over a year ago in the McVitie’s Marketing Team, working on Hobnobs & Other Everyday Biscuits (Rich Tea, Ginger Nuts and Fruit Shortcake). As well as delivering pack re-designs and ‘Best Evers’ across these brands I was heavily involved in the “Dunk or Not” cross-brand promotion that took place in early 2010. This was a through the line event across McVitie’s Core brands to celebrate and encourage the national debate about whether people dunk their biscuits or not.
Following this role, I moved to working on Minis and the launch of Medley bars, McVitie’s brand new biscuit and cereal bars, before recently starting a new Brand Manager role on Hobnobs and Special Treats (Boasters and Cookies). In this role I am responsible for optimising our products and growing the brands as well as working with our Innovation team to bring new products to market.
I chose UB for the variety of magnificent brands it owns, from McCoys and Hula Hoops to Go Ahead!, Penguin, Jaffa, and of course, McVitie’s as a whole. Getting to work on, and alongside these brands, has definitely lived up to expectations, but more than that it is the people at UB that make it such a great place to work. Working collaboratively is a key asset for all brand managers as we spend a great deal of time working as part of a much broader, cross functional team from manufacturing through to sales and everyone in between, so enjoying the environment you work in and the people you work with is essential.
Not only does UB have great brands, but is very strong commercially, meaning that as a brand manager you have full P&L responsibility, and have to make decisions that impact on your brand’s financial performance and be able to defend those decisions. If you’re looking for variety as well as responsibility and the opportunity to work at pace with a good team of people, then UB Marketing offers the type of challenging and stimulating working environment you just might be seeking.
I started my career at UB as a Regional Executive based in Saudi Arabia, where I was responsible for brands such as McVities and BN. This was an exciting time for me, as I had to learn about different cultures and understand a new business model.
After two years I was promoted to Regional Manager where I managed sales to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Yemen. Working at UB International has provided me with a range of experiences, I have had the opportunity to manage multi-cultural countries and find appropriate business solutions.
Within my role I have travelled to India, Nigeria and Egypt, and now have a better understanding of these countries and how to get our brands to market successfully. After seven years, I am a Regional Manager handling a bigger scope of our International business and manage a network of seven countries. I am proud to be part of UB as I am passionate about my role and the business.
As a proud member of the UB team, I am pleased to say that during my three and a half years with UB, I have been given various opportunities and challenges that have been fulfilling and mutually beneficial.
I started with UB as a Production Operative in the packing and pulling stock in bake house department, where I was given opportunities for job rotation in other departments. From this experience, I was able to enhance my understanding of supply-chain and food processing models. I then moved onto the LEAN project where the team was required to provide ideas for efficiency, and help management with spotting solutions. During this time I learnt key business aspects. I found this project intellectually stimulating, and an opportunity for me to provide the company with as many solutions as I could.
I moved to an Advanced Team Member role in September 2009. This was part of my long term career aspiration to fulfill my potential by taking on a challenging role like the ATM position and expand and put into practice the technical and soft skills I have accumulated to date.
I have just completed my NVQ Level 2 in Mechanical Maintenance and I am now doing my Level 3 in the same field. My goal is to complete the course by beginning of next year and also expand my knowledge on the electrical side, such as PLC programming. I can truly say that UB are committed in investing in people and realising individuals potential.