What’s your job about?
Frucor Suntory is one of the largest beverage manufacturers in NZ and owns an array of iconic brands such as V, Just Juice and Ribena. The Finance graduate role is a two year program that involves rotating through multiple Finance functions within the business, including Supply Chain, Financial Control, Consumer, Commercial and Financial Planning and Analysis. The rotations ensure that you finish the grad program with a vast general knowledge of multiple sides of the business. It is also a good opportunity to figure out what you are interested in within the field of Finance.
One of the projects I completed during my Commercial Finance rotation was conducting a return on investment analysis of the impact of spending on in store chillers. This project gave me the chance to connect with other departments to understand what was happening in store to get the most accurate results. At the end of this project, I was able to present my findings to the Director of Commercial Finance which was a great learning opportunity.
What’s your background?
I’ve spent my whole life in South Auckland, moving to Manurewa from Papatoetoe when I was 4, and I’ve been there ever since. I attended the University of Auckland and completed a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Accounting and Commercial Law. I am a third generation accountant, with both my grandpa and Dad completing degrees in Accounting, so Accounting obviously runs in the family! In my final semester of study, I applied for Frucor Suntory’s graduate program and through the interview process I could tell that Frucor Suntory was where I should go.
Could someone with a different background do your job?
If you have completed a degree in Accounting and are curious and willing to learn you could do my job.
What’s the coolest thing about your job?
Two things:
The culture at Frucor Suntory is great and everyone is willing to help you learn and grow. There are also opportunities to have fun with colleagues outside of work such as the Grad’s social netball team and occasional social meet-ups in the city such as escape rooms.
Having unlimited access to products/drinks in fridges around the office! I have my younger self’s dream job!
What are the limitations of your job?
As most of your work is deadline driven, there will be some stress on the job if you’re struggling to meet deadlines but the team around you will always be happy to help if it’s too much. It also gives you an opportunity to develop habits and processes to manage your work/life balance.
3 pieces of advice for yourself when you were a student…