Nestlé Management Trainees On Their Journey From B-Schools To The World’s Largest FMCG

Nestlé has a sharp focus on bringing the best talent on board to work with its ever-growing family. To help them become industry ready, right after their B-Schools, students are first made a part of Nestlé’s prestigious Management Trainee program. The program encourages students to take part in the overall growth of business and paves the way to acquire senior positions in the organization.

We spoke to some of the fresh B-School graduates from across the country who are currently undergoing the MT program at Nestlé, to know more about the program, their learning curve and what they love most about going to their workplace.

Name: Lakshay Malkani

Education: Commerce Graduate, MBA from XLRI, Jamshedpur

Hometown: Delhi

Age: 25

Past Work Experience: Analyst at KPMG

Road to Nestlé’s MT program: Through Nestlé’s 4Ps case study competition

Current Position: MT at Nestlé

How My Family Reacted on getting the placement offer from Nestlé: My parents were extremely happy when they got to know about the offer. We celebrated over MAGGI that day!

Experience during the MT program:

Quite contrary to my assumptions that I would be undergoing some training before I was assigned a full-time project, I was pleasantly surprised to have got the opportunity to work on a new product launch. And this was none other than the latest NESCAFE É.

I never thought that I would be given the chance to work on the plan for a new product launch, and that too just after graduating from my B-School. This was the perfect learning platform, any Management trainee could ask for. The day I joined Nestlé, I was given this project as my own and for every bit of it assigned to me, I was solely responsible. The kind of autonomy this opportunity gave me was nerve-wrecking and exhilarating at the same time.

My Learning so far:

Working on a product that was about to be launched, I had to align with multiple stakeholders and naturally, had to face multiple obstacles on my way. From spilling coffee on my shirt, trying to understand NESCAFE É  at the Nestlé sensory lab to blending in the crowd during an offline event getting feedback from the passersby, I had my share of personal association with the product trying to know it better. I am looking forward to learn more through this program and understand the overall business better.

What I Love about Nestlé:

Without any doubt, the autonomy it provides to you.

Name: Raunika Malhotra

Education: Business Studies Graduate, MBA from FMS, Delhi

Hometown: Delhi

Age: 25

Past Work Experience: Vendor Operations Lead at Google

Road to Nestlé’s MT program: PPO after Summer Internship

Current Position: MT at Nestlé

How My Family Reacted on getting the placement offer from Nestlé: My parents were well aware of my passion for Marketing from the very beginning and they were extremely proud when they heard I would be working with Nestlé to fulfil my dream.

Experience during the MT program:

The Management Trainee program got the best out of me as I got to work with four different brands within the three months of my marketing stint. It has been a little over 6 months into the MT program for me and I am currently working on my sales stint in Bangalore. Despite working in multiple teams and in multiple functions, the program is designed to ensure I get the ownership to run whatever projects or stints I am working on.

My Learning so far:

Millennials, just like me, want to achieve a lot in a short span in their lives. Nestlé, with its huge brand range and a strong product portfolio, is a place where you learn everyday differently. I got to understand how a mother aged 35 thinks about our product while working on a project for MILKMAID. On the other hand, I got to know about the minds of a 18-year-old, while working on a project for NESCAFÉ RTD.

During your sales stint you need to deal with people, and to get through to your distributors and retailers, understanding their requirement and influencing their purchase decisions is something that I am currently learning in my sales stint.

What I Love about Nestlé:

If your workplace has people only from the same age group, you tend to think one-dimensional. Due to the wealth of experience that people in Nestlé come in with, there is an exchange of ideas that takes place, thereby challenging any set notion you might develop about a particular project you have worked on.

Name: Arushi Ahuja

Education: Bachelor of Engineering, MBA from XLRI, Jamshedpur

Hometown: Delhi

Age: 25

Past Work Experience: Programmer Analyst at American Express

Road to Nestlé’s MT program: PPO after Summer Internship

Current Position: MT at Nestlé

How My Family Reacted on getting the placement offer from Nestlé: I gave my mother the news over the phone and I sensed that she had tears in her eyes. My brother was happy because he knew that his chocolate supply would be smoother now.

Experience during the MT program:

My biggest realization has been the fact that how wrong is the notion that most B-School students have in their minds that 'Sales is not exciting enough’! Sales is very tough and full of challenges. But the seniors and colleagues in Nestlé have set up an organization and an ecosystem that ensures a comfortable journey for anyone working in the team.

I was also pleasantly surprised to learn that Nestlé has a large force of female employees in Sales on field – an arena traditionally considered to be a male-dominated field. But Nestlé has enabled and continues to focus on ensuring absolutely safe working conditions for their female employees in the field, with multiple policies and benefits being extended to them at every step.

Clean and accessible sanitation facilities become a challenge in a Sales role for any employee, especially for female employees. But Nestlé has dedicatedly made sure that creation of sanitation facilities for its women employees in the field at distribution centers takes place. A simple but critical change.

My Learning so far:

During my sales stint, I learned about the fact that sales is not all just about numbers. Managing multiple stakeholders is a key to make any sales and distribution chain to work smoothly.

What I love about Nestlé:

It's a company which likes new ideas and your newness. At the same time, it is also an organisation that focuses a lot on its values. One gets to be creative and competitive while being close to values at the same time.

The Management Trainee program at Nestlé is a kickstarter for fresh B-School graduates looking to learn on the job about the various facets of the business. The program, through its meticulously planned stints across the Corporate Head Office, Sales offices and the factories to provide a holistic learning experience and prepares business grads to take a leap early in their careers.

Read more about Nestlé’s Management Trainee program from our previously published articles.

*This is a Promoted Feature