Name: Polly Davies
Job title: Head of category & marketing
Company: Florette UK & Ireland
What was your first job? I worked in a local fruit & veg shop – a concession within my local Kwik Save in North Wales. My early mornings and school holidays were spent unloading lorries at weekends.
I also had the chance to create produce displays and serve customers at the checkouts (remembering product codes as it was scale operated tills back then – no EPoS!). I’ve come full circle now by returning to the world of produce at Florette.
What’s been your worst job interview? It was for a grad scheme in the petrochemical industry. I went through six rounds of interviews and assessment centres with about 100 other grads. I proudly got through to the final stage, but fell at the last hurdle when trying to predict what the industry would look like in next 20 years to the MD of UK.
What was the first music single you bought? I saved my pocket money up to buy ‘Waking up the Neighbours’ by Bryan Adams on CD. I then played it on repeat for the first week, which annoyed my family!
“As an industry we all need to take more risks to move categories on and inspire more mealtimes”
How do you describe your job to your friends? I work with the supermarkets to make the right decisions about what to stock based on what you buy, and what you will want to buy in the future. It’s about bringing the Florette brand to life across the full shopper journey.
What is the most rewarding part of your job? I love seeing ideas come to life in store and celebrating the successes together as a team. I love working with teams on NPD pipelines, improving the shopper experience and driving up demand for our category through unmissable shopper activation.
What is the least rewarding part? Being too early with innovation. We often spot a trend very early as we are so insight-led, but often shoppers aren’t ready, or retailers perceive the propositions as too risky. Over time we have found the sweet spot, with great responses to our Florette NPD from the trade and consumers.
However, as an industry we all need to take more risks to move categories on and inspire more mealtimes.
What is your motto in life? Live every day like it’s your last and make a positive impact.
If you were allowed one dream perk, what would it be? I’d say free international travel for one month – a combination of free time and inspiration downloading. This would be a great way to get though the bucket list and bring great salad ideas back to the business. It’s a win-win.
Do you have any phobias? None that I can think of.
If you could change one thing in grocery, what would it be? Reducing food waste is a passion of mine. Brands, businesses and consumers can all work together to achieve this.
Florette has many leftover recipes to help with kitchen inspiration. Our farmers work hard to get fresh produce on our shelves, so we need to respect this effort by reducing waste.
What luxury would you have on a desert island? A solar-powered playlist of my favourite songs would give me a combination of high energy and chillout vibes, so that all times of the day are covered.
What animal most reflects your personality? A dog – driven, likes a challenge, being around people, high energy and loves working as part of a team to solve problems.
What’s your favourite film and why? Cast Away with Tom Hanks is up there as one of my favourites. It’s a great story about resilience and resourcefulness and shows what is possible if you put your mind to it.
What has been the most embarrassing moment in your life? Going into work with two different shoes on – one light pink, one black! Thankfully, both were the same style of shoe, and I only realised when a colleague did a double take as I greeted them on my way in the door.
Luckily, I had another pair of shoes in the car that I quickly changed into. I always double check now!
Which celebrity would you most like to work with and why? David Attenborough – he is a great storyteller (very natural, non-scripted and interesting). He is a national treasure, rich in knowledge yet humble, with a good sense of humour. I think he would be great to have around the office to inspire us – he is genuinely interested in nature, and would embrace produce and our farm to fork story.
What would your death row meal be? An incredible burger with cheese and chipotle mayo, topped off with crunchy salad, pink pickled onions, hand-cut chips and an extra side of salad and slaw.
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