Nelly – Key Account Manager International Accounts Spain

I joined Sara Lee Spain in March 2001 as a marketing assistant. After only three months, I accepted an offer to join an international exchange program for young graduates. I moved to the U.K. for two years where I continued to work in marketing. It was a great opportunity for me to learn work in a different way and to approach a different type of consumer.

In 2003, I moved back to Barcelona. I joined the Ambi Pur global brand team. Our responsibility was to drive the brand worldwide, from the overall strategy to the development of new products. During the four years that I worked on Ambi Pur, I moved from one category to another, from the ‘glamorous’ world of the toilet products to the world of home fragrances.

I have since been promoted to marketing manager, responsible for the worldwide Sanex deodorant business, and then was given the opportunity to move to the Spanish sales team. It has been like starting a job from scratch but I love learning new things everyday.

Sara Lee is a company with opportunities. I really like that the management in this company is very approachable, and allow employees to take control of their own careers. We are given the opportunity to express our ambitions and look for new challenges. However, these new challenges won’t come if you don’t make it happen. The company won’t tell you what your next step is. They will help you to identify it, but you have to make it happen.