Name: Jo Harwood
Job title: Chief sales and trade marketing officer
Company: Fox’s Burton’s Companies
What was your first job? I worked at a local amusement park where I served candy floss, hot dogs and doughnuts during the summer.
What’s been your worst job interview? I interviewed for a Saturday job in a camping shop while I was at school, but it became apparent fairly quickly that life under canvas wasn’t for me!
What was the first music single you bought? Culture Club – Karma Chameleon. I recently got to watch Boy George sing this live! It was fabulous.
“I’d like to see greater visibility of the career opportunities available in grocery for school leavers”
How do you describe your job to your friends? I sell some of the UK’s most iconic biscuits, to everywhere in the UK that you can buy snacks.
What is the most rewarding part of your job? Partnering with customers and seeing joint growth come from the plans you have worked on together. I love walking around stores and seeing our products executed as part of a joint plan.
What is the least rewarding part? I genuinely don’t have a least rewarding part – hence why I have been doing this for a long time.
What is your motto in life? Never, never, never give up – Winston Churchill.
If you were allowed one dream perk, what would it be? A fully heated surround for my desk would be my dream perk, as I’m always cold.
Do you have any phobias? Not really but I am not a fan of bugs or flying.
If you could change one thing in grocery, what would it be? I’d like to see greater visibility of the career opportunities available in grocery for school leavers and graduates, so they can better understand everything the industry has to offer.
We do a great job at FBC at offering entry-level career schemes across our entire business, from manufacturing to marketing, but there’s more that could be done in education environments to showcase the vast career opportunities in fmcg.
What luxury would you have on a desert island? Audible and Airpods (and a Diet Coke fridge).
What animal most reflects your personality? An armadillo. Tough exterior but soft on the inside.
What’s your favourite film and why? Dirty Dancing – for many reasons – but one being Patrick Swayze.
What has been the most embarrassing moment in your life? I can’t share it!
Which celebrity would you most like to work with and why? Professionally, I’d choose Paul Hollywood. Personally, Martin Lewis, because I’d love him as my financial adviser.
What would your death row meal be? A Sunday roast, followed by gently heated Fox’s Half Coated Cookies with ice cream, and a glass of chablis (with ice).
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