What's your job about?
Currently, I am on a logistics rotation in the graduate program. Being part of a graduate program means I get 4 6-month rotations, to develop my breadth of understanding of the business.
One of the big focuses is learning and understanding the end-to-end processes in transport, warehouse, and inventory. In transport, I have helped send some cartons and stock, and saw the transport process, where they load the trucks and send the orders to customers! The warehouse has involved getting to know the forklift drivers, learning how they process and move stock around the warehouse, and updating their standard operating procedures (SOPs). On the inventory side, I have looked at the remission process, how they use systems to count and update stock, and how they reconcile variances.
I also have started a couple of projects, where I look at the returns process and help create a capability matrix. As part of the returns process, I get to work with our customer service team, lead a project and initiatives, and help the warehouse process the returns with an RF gun! The other project I am working on, the capability matrix, enables me to engage with people about their jobs, asking and documenting what it entails, and the knowledge required for their job. I’m helping with creating a database of different jobs in the logistics umbrella, and what skills are needed! This links as well in going over the SOPs and understanding the different parts of people's jobs.
I have also had the opportunity to learn about production planning and create dummy production plans from the demand and forecasts we have! This part involved a bit of Excel, and good to learn and feel competent in new functions and how to present data.
What's your background?
I am Sydney born and raised! I did a double degree in Engineering and Arts at UNSW! My Engineering major was Chemical engineering, and for arts, my major was Chinese Studies, and my Arts minor was Economics. Guess it shows I have a broad range of interests! I wanted to study Chemical Engineering because I enjoyed chemistry and the real-life applications you see in Engineering. I wanted to end up in the food and beverage industry, and this degree also had links to this industry! My heritage is Chinese, although I was born in Sydney, my mother was born in Hong Kong and my dad was born in New Zealand. I always felt a little distant from the Chinese culture, yet by studying Chinese enjoyed learning more about the Chinese traditions and heritage, and this spurred me to want to continue studying it at university! I finished my studies in 2023 😊
Other than this job, I have previously worked as a receptionist at a physio and done some tutoring. I loved working with the kids and with people, seeing the light bulb moments and feeling like I was able to help and support the kids I tutored!
Going into the Diageo graduate program was my first full-time working job, although I did do an internship previously for a couple of months. It was very different though, being fully online and remote. I was looking for a job that was with people and involved being face-to-face! I am heavily people-orientated and find a lot more motivation in groups and around people!
Could someone with a different background do your job?
Yes! I have felt so supported in my role, with all the people around me and in every new and different task I have been given! There has been a good balance between challenging me in new and exciting tasks and reflecting on my strengths and weaknesses. It is fast-paced, with a lot that happens on the supply chain side! So, can guarantee you will be challenged and given the opportunities to push yourself and take risks, but you will be around a supportive community and people who want you to succeed!
What's the coolest thing about your job?
In a nutshell, the people! I have met some of the most awesome, friendly, and supportive people to walk alongside me and help me in this first stage of my career!
I had the opportunity to go on a trade blitz! It was tiring; we went to 6 different sites. We created different displays for Bundaberg Campfire and got to meet the store owners. It was a lot of fun to show our products and see what it is like in trade! I enjoyed working with people I also don’t normally work with and see what it is like in business. Did feel busy driving around and going to so many sites, but it was great to actually see our products in the store and engage with some consumers too!
It has also been fun to learn more about our different products and learn about the difference between whiskey vs. gin vs. tequila vs. vodka!
What are the limitations of your job?
There are a lot of things that pull people in many ways, especially in the supply chain (just so much happens!). It can be hard when the people you need are time-constrained and busy. Sometimes it requires you to be proactive and creative, to take initiative and take risks in determining and defining tasks. As part of this, there were a lot of times I felt pretty incompetent and unsure, so much was new and different from anything I had done before, so I needed to adjust quickly and embrace new tasks and challenges!
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