My name is Louise, and I am a second year Global Finance Graduate at Novozymes (Novonesis). My rotations so far have been in Risk Management, Business Finance; Agriculture and Industrial Biosolutions, Corporate Strategy and I am currently in the US on my rotation in Business Finance; Operations, Supply chain and Quality.
I hold a MSc in Business Administration and International Business from Copenhagen Business School.
How did you end up at the Novozymes Graduate Programme?
I was actively searching for a graduate programme as I wanted to continue the steep learning curve I had as a student. Also, I valued the exposure I could get to several departments within my area. The graduate programme at Novozymes stood out for me because it has less graduates and is more taylored compared to many of the others and I liked not being one amongst the mass. Furthermore, I favored the flexibility of the programme and that I could influence and co design my programme in terms of which rotations, length of rotations, and nothing is set in stone if opportunities arise.
What attracted you to Novozymes as an employer?
Novozymes was attractive as an employer because I value the vision of a better tomorrow and the purpose of the company, to rethink tomorrow to find biological answers for better lives in a growing world. Moreover, I admired the mission to go beyond Novozymes and affect the supply chain and expand the reach as much as possible. Ester’s (our CEO) presence and participation at events like COP28 in the attempt to make a difference is inspiring to me.
Besides sharing the values, I saw that Novozymes has been rated among top 3 companies for young people to work for. I value that Novozymes believe in developing people and presents opportunities to grow internally rather than losing talent.
What has been the highlight of being a graduate at Novozymes so far?
The 3 highlights of my journey so far have been:
What has surprised you the most about working at Novozymes?
The culture in Novozymes is heavily based on networking. Zymers in general are curious and have a broad interest in the company and their colleagues and the extent to which Zymers are willing to share and help has no limit.
Being a graduate is like switching between jobs 3 times a year. Starting a new job includes new colleagues, new routines, new tasks in which you don’t deliver.
Biggest challenge as a graduate so far?
The mental rollercoaster. Being a graduate is like switching between jobs 3 times a year. Starting a new job includes new colleagues, new routines, new tasks in which you don’t deliver. Then the learning curve is steep and right when you feel like you have got it and is starting to deliver, you change job again and start all over. Hereby, it has also been a struggle for me to leave unfinished business. At the same time, the many different roles are also what I like about being a graduate.
Advice to other applicants?
Take responsibility for your own journey and speak up about you wishes. I have learned at Novozymes that there is no limit to your curiosity whether it is regarding the job, the organisation, enzymes or people, and Zymers are more than willing to share, so my best advice is to ask a lot of questions.
How do you see your future with Novozymes?
When I come home from the US in March, I have one rotation left in the graduate programme and afterwards I will be looking for a permanent position. At the moment, it is difficult to plan my future at Novozymes due to the upcoming merger. I see a lot of interesting opportunities and even more to come following the merger. I am looking forward to applying the knowledge I have gained throughout the graduate programme and continue to develop in a permanent position at Novonesis.
