Graduate Thomas: “Carlsberg is not only an attractive brewery but also an attractive tech employer”

How did you end up at the Carlsberg Graduate Programme? When and where did you first hear about it?

At the time my master’s was coming to an end, I thought it would be interesting to kick start my career in a large organization where I could learn from the best. I started to search for different programmes online and the Carlsberg Graduate Programme quickly caught my attention.

➔  Hiring!  Carlsberg are hiring graduates right now. Click here for more details on the programme.

Before joining Carlsberg, I had mostly worked within smaller businesses and consultancy. I found it inspiring to join a larger company to understand the dynamics and contribute to making an impact in a larger context and at the same time meet people from different backgrounds and cultures. Without hesitation, I applied for the programme and prepared myself for the job interviews.

What attracted you to Carlsberg?

Being Danish and growing up within half an hour from the original brewing site, I have always been familiar with the Carlsberg brand. Combined with the fact that the Digital Graduate Programme gave me a chance to build on top of my education, learn more about technologies, and support our digital transformation journey it was an easy choice for me to apply. 

Part of Carlsberg’s purpose is to make society better, hereby bring people together by exciting consumers with quality brews. Something I could see myself in. I was surprised to see how many brews we have in our portfolio. It spans across everything from alcohol-free beers to soft drinks and of course famous beer brands as Grimbergen and Kronenbourg. I personally find it very motivating to work for a company where I can identify and relate to the end-consumers and the purpose itself.   

Carlsberg is also a truly global company with operations across the world. I was attracted by the opportunity to gain a practical and real-life understanding of how it is to work with people from different cultures from all over Asia, Western Europe and Eastern Europe.

Finally, I was attracted by the fact that Carlsberg besides being a brewery has a high digital potential and ambition to advance as a technology leader within fast-moving consumer goods. To take part in the journey of enabling Carlsberg’s today and tomorrow with technologies, data and innovation caught my interest immediately. Through the Digital Graduate Programme at Carlsberg, I could combine my profound digital interest with the purpose of giving back to society.

Why did you want to join a graduate programme?

A graduate programme provides the best possible way to kick start your career. Doing rotations in various teams experiencing different leadership styles in such a short time is a unique opportunity. You get to try yourself in multiple settings working on various projects helping you to identify your interests and strengths. At the same time, providing you with a more holistic view of the organization that can benefit you throughout your future career.

Another reason is the graduate community in Carlsberg. When you come fresh out of university it is amazing to have the chance to learn from other young talents and spare together. All my fellow graduates have been very supportive and helpful for my progression. Furthermore, I am also surrounded by senior leaders and have a mentor that can guide my direction and share best practice on how to develop in my career. I never feel left alone – I can always get the support I need. 

What has surprised you the most about working at Carlsberg?

I was surprised to experience that Carlsberg is much more than a brewery. A complex combination of disciplines and functions across the world must come together to grow Carlsberg as a business. In my function, we strive to enable digital tools and technologies to support our group functions, markets, and consumers the best way. To understand the complexity of aligning people and making sure we all speak the same language is a challenge that surprised me, but also something that keeps motivating me day-to-day.      

This further taught me that Carlsberg is not only an attractive brewery but also an attractive tech employer. We are also a very people-driven organization where people from all over the world come together both professionally and socially.

What has been the most exciting project you have worked on so far?

Throughout my second rotation, I was working on a very exciting project regarding image recognition. A technology to improve and automate steps of in-store sales execution supporting us in improving sales, merchandise activities, and achieving the perfect store for sales representatives in our markets.

My role was to be responsible for and manage a roll out in Lithuania aligning stakeholders, creating the business case, and landing a successful pilot project.

It was inspiring to learn first-hand, how technology and data can support our commercial agenda and at the same time for me to deep dive into a specific market. I have learned how sales and information technology can play together and at the same time manage both software vendors, business stakeholders and internal managers.

Biggest challenge as a graduate so far?

Obviously, my generation of graduates was largely hit by the Covid-lockdown forcing us to work from home after only two weeks in office. It was a challenge to get to know people across Carlsberg when working from home and via virtual meetings.

Especially in Carlsberg networking and continual support from people are crucial to excel and deliver successfully. Nonetheless, I have been fortunate to always receive support from my colleagues, the Leadership Team, and HR throughout the lockdown.

Furthermore, a general challenge as a graduate is that you can easily get a lot of tasks over your head. However, this also offers an opportunity to learn to manage your own work, prioritize, and spare with others.        

Advice to other applicants?

The best advice I can give to future graduates is to be curious and open-minded. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and introduce yourself to people you meet along the way.

Also being proactive and not afraid of taking chances is crucial. Don’t hesitate to bring new ideas and challenge existing practice. Top management will listen to your input and take it seriously.

The key thing is that you accept the programme as a learning journey. Nobody expects that you can answer all questions. The sooner you realize this the sooner you can learn, deliver, and grow professionally.

How do you see your future with Carlsberg?

Even though my graduate programme will come to an end I still have much to learn, I think Carlsberg is being transparent and keeping many potential doors open. Both my mentor and managers have provided me with good insight into the various possibilities.

Personally, I find our Contract Management Team very interesting. The key thing is that I will still be challenged, have fun and work alongside some great colleagues. We will see what the future brings.

➔  Hiring!  Carlsberg are hiring graduates right now. Click here for more details on the programme.