Share Your Work Experience Form
Name: Adil Ehsan
Organization: Friesland Campina Middle East (Current) Previously was with Reckitt Benckiser Arabia and before that Procter and Gamble.
Designation: Marketing Manager
Work Experience (in years): 12 years
Industry: FMCG
Expertise: Brand development/management
Q. What to expect at the entrant level? (Ups and downs during the early years)
Don’t join a marketing department to be a ‘creative’. Join an agency instead. A Marketer has to be the bridge between business requirements and consumer disinterest. Creativity is a means towards an end.
Learning to do proper business writing that is effective and good
The IBA exposure to actual corporate life is second to none
Q. Explain the Career progress that is typical to this field? (Growth pattern/ promotion chances/ overseas placements)
Working for a blue chip MNC in marketing today means embracing an international career. There is no such thing as a single country/region career if you really wish to grow in today’s world. In my career I have worked in Pakistan, then Geneva and now in Dubai. If you aren’t ready to adapt to multiple cultures, new locations don’t expect to get far in FMCG marketing.
Promotion is varied pending company as everyone has their own designations and routes to success. What’s more important than title is the size of business, the complexity of work and its global applicability. As long as this is increasing every 2-3 years you should be happy.
Q. What pre requisite courses need to taken to help students to enter this career path? (Courses/ certifications that help in this field)
Have a strong background in finance – including corporate Finance. Believe it or not it helps.
Otherwise the general marketing stuff also helps.
No certifications really help in this field but have strong extra curricular interests and achievments.
Q. Do employers have a preference for certain individuals? (CGPA or a specialized Bachelors or masters requirement)
GPA can help get you in the door for an entry level position in some companies but is over-rated.
Most important is aptitude best exemplified by actual achievements – people who have proven themselves to be leaders. A CGPA of 3.9 is great but an individual who has held a position in a real organization or student body who also has achieved things is far more an interesting hire than someone good at exams. Lead a charity drive, run a student organization, show that you have real world skills vs. being able to recite textbooks.
Other attributes – be culturally flexible and articulate. Blue chip MNC’s are seeking people who can be successful internationally and can interact with men and women from different cultures and backgrounds and lead them.
Q. Who are the industry leaders and trend setters in this field? (Companies that need to be looked out for)
P&G, Unilever are the standard setters.
L’oreal within the beauty care industry especially as they expand in the region.
