Anders Dahl Nielsen
During the two years, we have two nine-month rotations in the supply chain, and between them, we have a six-month rotation in a commercial function.
Within the supply chain programme, they aim to have a general rotation, often with a leadership role, and then a role that is more specialized. The specialized rotation usually comes first and when you come back from the commercial rotation, you have a more holistic overview of the company, and you go into your general rotation. But my structure was actually flipped – I’m going into my specialized role in my third rotation.
➔ Hiring! Carlsberg are hiring graduates right now. Click here for more details on the programme.
I was aiming for a company within the FMCG (fast-moving consumer goods) sector because from a supply chain perspective, it's very interesting that you have to be agile and make big decisions quickly. Every choice you make potentially comes with a huge impact.
How did you start at the Carlsberg Graduate Programme? Where did you first hear about it?
I heard about it during my studies, from my study mates, and also at my study job – the student assistant who was two years ahead of me spoke about graduate programmes and their benefits.
I started investigating the possibilities already during my Bachelor’s degree, and I quickly found Carlsberg whose graduate programme sounded very appealing. I liked that the 2 longer rotations in the supply chain give a chance to go more into depth in a function, as well as it was appealing that graduates have 4 graduate workshops and a senior-level mentor throughout the entire programme. Also, I liked their presence in the media, for example on YouTube videos where they interviewed current graduates who spoke very fondly about the programme.
What else attracted you to Carlsberg?
I was aiming for a company within the FMCG (fast-moving consumer goods) sector because from a supply chain perspective, it’s very interesting that you have to be agile and make big decisions quickly. Every choice you make potentially comes with a huge impact. I like to optimize things through technology, and we could make a huge influence on the entire supply chain.
In the supply chain, we have production functions and logistics functions. I liked that Carlsberg has end-to-end production – I already had experience from the logistics point of view, but not so much from the production side. It was then very important for me to find a company with production in Denmark, so I could develop my skills in a production facility.
Why did you want to join a graduate programme?
In my study job, I quickly found interest in logistics, but I also did not know what the possibilities are within other supply chain functions because I only scratched the surface of the job market. Although I thrived in the position that I had, I wanted to investigate the opportunities, learn more about supply chain management, and not become too specialized within a certain field.
What has surprised you the most about working at Carlsberg?
The culture at Carlsberg surprised me a lot. People are very humble and everybody is ready to give you a helping hand. And everyone is so passionate about what they do – for example, you can go into the brewery and listen to a master brewer talk for hours about the mechanics of brewing beer. We also have many employees who have been at the company for almost a lifetime, and they are still trying to give their best to Carlsberg every day in the pursuit of making better beer because they are so proud of working here.
I was also surprised about the massive volumes of beers and sodas we produce for the market – and in Fredericia, that’s all primarily for the Danish market!
The culture at Carlsberg surprised me a lot. People are very humble and everybody is ready to give you a helping hand. And everyone is so passionate about what they do - for example, you can go into the brewery and listen to a master brewer talk for hours about the mechanics of brewing beer. We also have many employees who have been at the company for almost a lifetime, and they are still trying to give their best to Carlsberg every day in the pursuit of making better beer because they are so proud of working here.
What has been the biggest challenge as a graduate?
I had a lot of experience within data analysis – and I was used to sitting at my desk. It was a big challenge for me to start in a generalist role in a leadership team and get responsibility for ten operators in the warehouse. This did not happen from day one, but my leader was slowly pulling away into the background to let me go with the day-to-day operational tasks. This was challenging for me as I wasn’t used to making decisions on a day-to-day basis and being in charge of a small team.
During the summer holidays I was also interim line leader for 40 operators in 3 weeks to cover for my colleagues in the warehouse leadership team. Post-COVID, with the Danish market delivering record-high sales because people wanted to go out and have a beer, we were constantly challenged and I had to make decisions within hours to make sure we had the right people at the right place at the right time in order to deliver.
How do you see your future with Carlsberg?
I’d like to get a broader perspective of our entire supply chain – have experience from different departments. And then, when you feel that your backpack is full of solid knowledge, then you can build on that and take up a more senior or potentially leadership role in the future.
So I definitely see myself staying because I think the opportunities are very big inside the company. Most importantly, you see others getting the chance to develop in other functions inside the company – taking a step into a different department and getting new challenges at developing their skills. Carlsberg is very good at doing that.
Do you have any advice for other applicants?
When I found out that I wanted to pursue the graduate programme in Carlsberg, I started to focus on challenging myself and developing my skills to give myself the right competencies to succeed. I believe this has helped me succeed in the graduate programme, where you should definitely be prepared to get challenged and should not be afraid to challenge the standards and set ambitious targets. If you are willing to invest in the programme and stay curious throughout the rotations, you will develop skills and a network that will lay a solid foundation for your future career.
➔ Hiring! Carlsberg are hiring graduates right now. Click here for more details on the programme.
