My food & drink job: Ashley Harris, assistant comms manager, Ben & Jerry’s

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ashley harris ben and jerrys

Name: Ashley Harris

Age: 27

Job title: Assistant communications manager EUANZ

Company & Location: Ben & Jerry’s, Datchet

Education: Advertising at Bournemouth University

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? If we’re talking absolute dream job, I spent several years convinced I’d be a racing driver!

Why did you decide to go for a career in food and drink? Food and drink is something so many people are excited about, it’s hard not to love it. To hear friends and family members say, “did you see the Ben & Jerry’s pop-up in London?”, and know that was my team is something that never gets old.

I’m also a bit of a new products nerd, and love seeing the new-in additions to the shelf on my weekly shops. A week doesn’t go by without some kind of new snack to try landing in my basket.

“It’s my responsibility to ensure our messaging strikes a sweet balance of joy and justice”

Explain your job to us in a sentence (or two): I sit in the Ben & Jerry’s global communications team, and we collaborate to make sure our product, social and economic missions are impactful. Within that, it’s my responsibility to ensure our messaging across Europe, Australia and New Zealand strikes a sweet balance of joy and justice.

What does a typical day look like for you?: It’s safe to say no two days are the same in communications! As I work across multiple markets, my days often involve connecting with our brand managers across Europe to support their upcoming product launches, from fan-centric experiences to press office. I also work with our social mission team to ensure we are staying true to what Ben & Jerry’s is all about – using ice cream to change the world.

ben and jerrys ice cream tubs Churros and Doughnut

On a global level, I work with my American counterparts Sabrina and Sean to use our business tools and channels to drive progressive change. We also create communications guidelines, toolkits and creative ideas that can then be adapted for each of our markets to fit local nuances and ensure Ben & Jerry’s stays culturally relevant.

Tell us how you went about applying for your job: My application process comprised of three interviews with the communications, integrated marketing, digital and social mission teams, meaning I could meet a lot of my colleagues before starting in-role. It gave me a taste of the collaborative environment to come, as so many areas of Ben & Jerry’s involve some kind of communications work.

Having so many varied conversations from the outset meant my excitement about the role grew and grew; coming from an agency background, this was my opportunity to move a step closer to wider parts of a globally loved ice cream business.

What’s the best part about working for a food and drink company? There are creative people everywhere you turn in food and drink, and working at Ben & Jerry’s means I have the privilege of collaborating with them every day. From our flavour gurus (yes, they’re real!), to the marketing team I sit with daily, everyone is creative and brings the human touch that makes Ben & Jerry’s so special.

It’s a real team effort across many years to take a product launch from concept to execution to amplification – something we all celebrate together. I’m getting my first taste of that with our recent Churrifically Churros-y and Strawberry Doughnut-eee bakery-inspired launches, and there are many more exciting plans in the pipeline for 2026!

What advice would you give to other young people looking to get into the food and drink industry? Be curious; there are more categories, brands and roles than you think. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, say yes to hands on experiences, or have a go at learning a new skill.

What’s your ultimate career dream? For the foreseeable future, my new move into ice cream is proving pretty sweet. Long term, I’d love to work with Percy Pig in one way or another and of course name my own ice cream flavour!