Amie Klapsia is a High Street & E-Commerce Controller within our UK Commercial Sales function. Find out what Amie has to say about her team and why joining our Sales function could be the perfect career move for you!
Can you tell me a little bit about the Sales function at Perrigo? The Sales team at Perrigo consists of around 30 people who all have different experiences and backgrounds, which helps ensure we benefit from different perspectives. I’ve been in the team for almost 18 months and have found everyone to be incredibly supportive and I have learned loads from them. I joined Perrigo to have a new challenge within a different market, and Selfcare certainly gives you that! It can be complex at times but in turn it means there’s always plenty of opportunities to explore. We have significant portfolios in both branded and own label, which is quite different to most suppliers. This gives you a brilliant overview of the total market and sometimes provides a different approach with retailers.
Does the Perrigo Sales function differ from your previous experience? If so, then how? The great thing about Perrigo is that the business encourages everyone to truly own their remit and drive positive change. We try to be as agile as possible to unlock opportunity, so if you can spot a chance to improve the business and map out how to get there, the wider team tend to be supportive. We place a lot of focus on cross functional collaboration so there is support available from plenty of super bright people to help too.
What is a typical workday like as part of the Sales team? To be honest I’d say there is not really a ‘typical’ day, which is what I like about my role. Being in Sales enables you to be involved with every touch point of the customer, whether it be through retailer meetings, internal P&L reviews, building activation plans or mapping out a 3 year strategy.
How would you describe the Sales team culture? I find Sales has a good pace and you need to work efficiently to get the best outcomes. We are all keen to get great results as well as enjoy the day to day environment. Everyone is respectful of each other and you have great support networks to lean on. Even in lockdown we’ve tried to get a balance between work deadlines and team building activities like a virtual escape room or pilates! We’ve also developed a more flexible working style, which is brilliant. Post-Covid it will mean more working from home as the new normal, as well as keeping some flex on working hours to ensure you can attend a workout session over lunch or do the school run.
Tell me about the other teams that you work closely with on a day to day basis? We live by the mantra ‘Customer First’, which means Sales should always prioritise working closely with retailers. Sales members represent Perrigo and aim to build strong relationships to maximise opportunities for both businesses. Listening to our partners to then map out the best approach is key. This could cover several functions within the retailer too, from Trading to Supply to Regulatory teams.
Sales also work with various cross functional internal teams, but in particular there is a close link with the CSI team. We work together to build clear commercial strategies both in the immediate and long term, which are tailored to each retailer. These could cover elements like promotional plans, NPD listings or forecast assumptions.
How would you describe the management style within the Sales function? One of empowerment. The business recognises the value of each individual and therefore you are given responsibility and trust to deliver your remit. We try to take well calculated risks, focus on what’s within our ability to manage and have strong communication to avoid surprises!
What has been your biggest work-related highlight? Navigating through the recent Covid environment has been a challenge like no other. There were implications within our supply chain and commercial landscape that caused significant pinch points to work through. I’m really proud that during such a stressful time the team pulled together and we managed to find logical solutions whilst still acting with integrity. There were so many unknowns to deal with both internally and for our retail partners, but we were able to work collaboratively. Plus, there was empathy for challenges in our personal lives and I think we did a great job of adapting.
What can a perspective employee expect when joining the Sales function? In the immediate term you would have a clear set of induction sessions to set you up well within the business and connect you to your key stakeholders. Longer term you would expect to feel supported and encouraged to develop in your role on to further career options either within Sales or perhaps cross functionally in the future.
From a wider Perrigo perspective, you could expect to learn much more about the Self Care market and what this means for shoppers. It’s energising to know you’re making such a genuine difference to people’s health.
What does someone need, to be successful within your function? In order to be successful you have to be able to think on your feet, be clear with your messaging and have strong team spirit! Being enthusiastic, inquisitive and keen to learn really helps the whole team keep evolving.
What is your favourite aspect about being part of the Sales team? I love that the days are varied and that Sales can tangibly impact a broad range of workstreams. It’s great to have the chance to work with lots of different people and to weigh up different perspectives to find the best way forward. You are also able to have time with the whole leadership team, so it can be inspiring to hear their thinking on business initiatives.
Equally, I love having a close relationship with my direct team as we all look out for each other and people are genuinely keen to help and see everyone succeed!
We are always looking for passionate, dedicated people to join our teams at Perrigo. Take your next career step today and check out our live vacancies !