My food & drink job: Evie Pickering, brand activation, Kellanova

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Evie Pickering Headshot.jpg

Name: Evie Pickering

Age: 22

Job title: Brand activation executive – salty snacks

Company & location: Kellanova, Media City, Manchester

Education: Rather than pursuing a traditional university path, I chose to kickstart my career through an apprenticeship with Salford City College. During this time, I successfully completed two apprenticeships at Kellanova: Business Administration Level 3 and Marketing Executive Level 4, which enabled me to gain invaluable experience, knowledge and skills through rotations in key areas of the business including sales, supply chain and marketing.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? I never had a specific career in mind growing up, but I’ve always been drawn to creative pursuits. Whether it was baking, arts and crafts or nails, I’ve always found joy in activities that allow me to wholly immerse myself in the creative process.

Why did you decide to go for a career in food & drink? Growing up in Trafford, just 10 minutes from the Manchester plant, Kellogg’s has always been a familiar name to me. As a self-proclaimed massive foodie, with a penchant for marketing, I was instantly drawn to Kellanova when I learned more about their portfolio of iconic household brands like Pringles!

“My experience in sales and supply chain have proven to be invaluable in deepening my understanding of the business”

Explain your job to us in a sentence (or two): My role involves leading on a retailer account, working on critical campaigns and supporting the team on the wider brand masterplan.

What does a typical day look like for you? As ever in this industry, no two days are the same. However, I may be booking campaigns, briefing artwork and holding meetings with external agency partners to amplify the masterplan. I closely monitor the retailer account I lead on, aligning with the account manager to ensure a streamlined, considered approach to delivering against our objectives. I’m also responsible for planning, reviewing and evaluating campaigns and supporting with various administrative tasks like managing payments, organising samples and preparing buyers’ boxes.

I also value one-on-one time with my manager to align on weekly priorities, discuss any required support and enjoy a more informal conversation about life outside work and wellbeing.

Pringles Hot

Tell us how you went about applying for your job: The application process for my current role was both exciting and a little daunting, as it was my first full-time job interview after completing my apprenticeship. I felt particularly nervous because I knew I’d be interviewed by internal stakeholders, many of whom I worked with on a daily basis.

The application process comprised two stages, and I was fortunate that Kellanova provided interview training during my apprenticeship, giving me the tools and confidence I needed to succeed.

Also, due to the nature of the apprenticeship, I had a log of everything I had worked on and all the experience I had gained which served as a really valuable resource throughout the process.

What’s the best part about working for a food & drink company? The best part about working for a food company is being able to work on brands that you already love – this makes work really enjoyable. These brands are at the centre of so many occasions throughout the year, like Christmas, football, summer and through this, we have a real opportunity to create meaningful and memorable moments for our consumers.

In addition, I’ve been lucky enough to lead on a variety of projects such as the Pringles UK local amplification plan for our gaming partnerships, as well as campaigns supporting our wider ESG strategy like the Cheez-It X Your Local Pantry campaign in Co-op.

And what’s the biggest misconception people have about working in food & drink? Working in food and drink can be challenging. We are constantly keeping abreast of laws and regulatory restrictions around food advertising, and beyond compliance, there’s the critical task of protecting, managing and maintaining brand image and reputation. And importantly, doing the right thing by and for our customers and consumers.

What advice would you give to other young people looking to get into the food & drink industry? If there’s a specific brand or company, you’re passionate about, don’t restrict yourself to pursuing a role within just one function. In this industry, gaining knowledge and experience across various functions can be acutely useful. For instance, while I knew I wanted to work in marketing, my experience in sales and supply chain have proven to be invaluable in deepening my understanding of the business, and expanding my network, offering a fresh and broader perspective.

What’s your ultimate career dream? I hope to continue to lead on exciting campaigns, build iconic brands and work my way up to a senior brand manager, continuing to champion Kellanova as a snacking powerhouse!