“I was kind of a Chief Financial Officer for Oral B and Braun in the Nordics; I was submitting the financial forecast that feeds into a bigger P&G forecast which gets communicated to Wall Street. I was making and influencing business decision with the goal to drive the category, the profitability of the business and at the same time get a higher return of investment for P&G.”
I still remember that day when P&G called me to offer me a full-time position after being successful in their summer internship program. I left the UK and moved to Stockholm, where I did not know anyone and most importantly I did not understand a word of what people were saying. I kept saying to myself: “What are you doing here? Why didn’t I stay in UK?” Well, looking back now Stockholm was probably the best life and career experience I ever had.
From day one, I got full-responsibilities as Finance Manager of the Oral Care and Braun businesses for all four Nordic countries. It was very challenging and at the same time exciting as I had to deal with four completely different consumer population with four currencies.
I was given a real business, actually two real businesses that I had to manage from a finance perspective. What does it mean? I was kind of a Chief Financial Officer for Oral B and Braun in the Nordics. I was submitting the financial forecast that feeds into a bigger P&G forecast which gets communicated to Wall Street; I was making and influencing business decision with the goal to drive the category, the profitability of the business and at the same time get a higher return of investment for P&G.
From day one, I was immediately included in the team and in the office. Everyone was very welcoming, always available despite their busy agendas/calendars. My questions were listened and answered anytime. To be honest, it was a weird feeling because I have never thought to find an office where people genuinely wanted my best. They wanted me to grow, to learn, to become a true leader. The coaching never stops, and every day I still learn something new.