My food & drink job: Luke Batson, assistant brand manager, Hovis

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Luke Batson Hovis

Name: Luke Batson

Age: 27

Job title: Assistant brand manager

Company & location: Hovis, High Wycombe

Education: BA Business Studies with Law at Bournemouth University

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? I started out wanting to be an airline pilot after going on a plane for the first time, but this eventually transitioned to being eager to work behind the scenes in a creative industry – specifically in music as a sound engineer or as an artists & repertoire.

I quickly realised no matter what, I wanted to work in a creative role as these roles seemed exciting and varied, which is why I ultimately ended up in marketing.

“People believe that launching a new product that aligns with the current trends can happen within weeks”

Why did you decide to go for a career in food & drink? It was important to work in an industry that I had an interest in, and one that had an impact on society. I love how the food and drink industry is ever evolving! It’s a fast-paced environment, which is where I thrive. It definitely stops me from ever getting bored!

Explain your job to us in a sentence (or two): I work in marketing and look after the entire Hovis portfolio. My role is to support the development and execution of brand plans, whilst reinforcing Hovis’ iconic brand image.

What does a typical day look like for you? Cliché, I know, but I don’t have a typical day. One day I’m discussing social media plans with one of our agencies and the next I’m analysing the performance of a shopper marketing campaign. This is the beauty of the role: there is always variety, which means I’m always learning.

hovis sub rolls

Tell us how you went about applying for your job. I first heard about the role on LinkedIn and the application process was simple and refreshingly short with just two stages.

The first stage was an online interview with my now line manager. This interview was the classic get to know you with competency-style questions on my experience.

The final stage was an in-person panel-style interview. I also had an on-the-spot task which wasn’t too daunting, but it was around how I would deal with stakeholders and rationale for decisions I made.

What’s the best part about working for a food & drink company? It’s ever evolving and fast-paced, which means you really have to know your market and keep up-to-date with trends.

The food and drink industry is constantly in a state of innovation, developing new and exciting products and flavours to meet consumer demand. Trying to meet the demands while staying true to the brand means there is never a dull moment.

And what’s the biggest misconception people have about working in food & drink? I think it’s oversimplifying innovation. Before starting in the food and drink industry I definitely had the same misconceptions. People believe that launching a new product that aligns with the current trends can happen within weeks.

The truth is that a lot of thought and time is invested into new launches. A lot of ideas that come up in conversations don’t make it to product development and even less make it to launch. From start to finish this process can take months or years when you consider the product pipeline.

What advice would you give to other young people looking to get into the food & drink industry? Be open to saying yes to new opportunities. For example, you might start in sales and get a new opportunity to move over into marketing, so don’t be afraid to go for it. Secondly, you should have a love or appreciation for the products of the brand, after all you’ll be working with them day in, day out.

What’s your ultimate career dream? For me this question always proves challenging, even though it comes up in nearly every job interview. The truth is I don’t think I have an ultimate career dream, not because I’m not ambitious, but rather due to the fact I am. I simply don’t want to put a cap on my career – I want to be open to all opportunities that arise. My main goal is to have constant progression and growth in whatever I do.