Suzi Macleod Email & Phone Number

Lancing

I currently work for Orexis Fresh Foods Ltd, a provider of food dips, as a Sales Executive. My role includes looking after many customers across the UK, both in retail and wholesale, as well as seeking out new and exciting potential clients. These customers range from being interested in our standard lines to looking at bespoke products with own-label packaging. This leads to discussions regarding transport, deliveries, MOQ and, of course, costs. From being at Orexis I have fully immersed myself in the world of food manufacturing so as to learn as much as possible regarding this sector. This includes visiting trade shows and attending supplier conferences on my own, therefore making business contacts that I would not have made otherwise. Despite my role often taking me out of the office visiting customers I have always been keen to be knowledable of the entire commercial process so I have spent time with each department, as well as in the factory watching the dips being produced and on the packaging line. I have also worked closely with my NPD colleague and the Packaging Design team, and so have been able to have input on new lines and new packaging designs. Most recently I helped set out our NPD plan for the year, focusing on significant dates and holidays coming up in 2018 and designing dips around these. This will ensure that we are always on trend and have a host of products to show to our customers.

I worked at Reynard’s, a food service packaging supplier, as a Business Development Manager. My role included looking after all of their accounts in a sizeable part of the South East of England. In summary, I ensured that the accounts were professionally serviced so as to maximize sales and customer satisfaction. Additionally, I actively scouted for new accounts that would potentially benefit from Reynards’ products and accordingly drive growth.I carried out my role by planning at least 3 weeks in advance to ensure that I could cover my entire area and that all accounts would receive a visit at their convenience. During each of these visits we discussed current product ranges, new product ranges, customer service issues and any new bespoke products in which the customer was interested. I would often take an order on the day, quote new products or suggest new products. These visits lasted anytime between 10 minutes and 3 hours. The other side of my role was organising quotes, sample requests and new bespoke product enquires, such as print. Using my design background, I was often able to help the customer with their idea for a logo, or even down to the layout/colours that they might want to use.From my time at Reynards I learnt a great amount regarding customer management, problem solving and planning my calendar so as to gain the most out of each day. I developed the ability to quickly build a strong rapport with customers; understanding their requirements and working with them on a collegial basis to both solve their issues and, importantly, promote sales for Reynards. As indicated above, I particularly enjoy ad-hoc business development tasks where I can show flare and provide differentiation for my employer. I am also highly proficient in managing the standard back-office tasks such as order processing that can either make or spoil a customer’s experience of a supplier.

Skills gained including: -Dealing with customers needs-Serving behind the bar and in the restaurant-Stock check-Cashing the tills-Drinks and food stock orders

Recent experience was a three month engagement for the Guildford Book Festival. In this role I was able to learn aspects of web design, marketing and research; including how to target specific organisations with the aim of enhancing ticket sales. I also took responsibility for managing the festival members’ data such that communication could be targeted to those individuals most likely to have an interest in specific events. My work also included writing copy for newsletters and ensuring that optimal images and designs were used in marketing collateral. When the Festival was underway, I was able to gain firsthand experience at helping the events run smoothly by shadowing the authors to ensure they arrived at the correct venues, on time and properly briefed. Finally, I also collected additional market data that will be used in the future years to drive ticket sales.

As a key component of my university degree, I benefitted from a year’s internship at a small ProductDesign and Manufacturing company, BlueMT. During the 40 weeks spent there, I was in charge of telesales as well as other tasks. These included explaining the design-to-manufacture process to potential clients and also proactively contacting specific companies about design opportunities that could be offered to them.Other skills: -Invoicing-Engaging in and organization of internal and external client meetings-Data basing-Research-Marketing and Advertising assignments-Postage-Organization of travel needs eg. flights/trains sorted

Bachelor Of Science (Bsc), Product Design And Technology, 2:2

Activities and Societies: Hall of Residence Hockey Team Year 1 Modules: Design Practice, Ergonomics, Design Contexts, Computing.

Education record

Activities and Societies: 1st Hockey Team Bronze, Silver and Gold Duke of Edinborough Young Enterprise Award: Attained 2nd place.