Profiles
"I knew if I joined Tesco there was scope to take my career in whichever direction I wanted."
Hannah
Technology
Leadership
Programme
Naomi
Corporate & Legal Affairs
PhD Chemistry, Manchester University
Joined Tesco September 2005
Joining the Corporate Affairs graduate scheme was a great way to kick-start my career. As part of my training I worked in several teams across the department as well as completing a three month store placement. This was a great introduction to the company and I gained lots of experience, such as visiting our European stores with investors and writing articles for the staff magazine.
Following the referral of the grocery market to the Competition Commission in May 2006, I was seconded to the dedicated Tesco Project Team which gave me a unique opportunity to learn about competition within the industry and the benefits it brings to customers.
I have now taken up a permanent position as an Investor Relations Manager. My role involves liaising with investors and city analysts to keep them informed as to what is happening within the business. This can take the form of meetings, formal trading announcements, store visits and the publication of key documents such as the Annual Report.
Tesco now has stores in 12 international markets and because many of our investors are also based overseas, my role can involve quite a lot of travelling. In the past year I have travelled with investors to see our stores in Poland and the US, as well as visiting Hungary and France. I've recently accompanied the Board Finance and Strategy Director on a trip to New York and Boston to see some of our largest shareholders.
I'm personally responsible for managing the Annual Report, Annual Review and our investor centre website. This has really helped me develop my project management skills and given me the opportunity to work with people right across the business - from customer assistants in store to the Chief Executive.
I've also recently started 'Options' a tailored training and development programme for people identified as having the potential to do a bigger job. I'm supported through the programme by three directors and it's a great opportunity to really focus on acquiring the skills I will need to take on bigger challenges and move my career to the next level.
Tesco is a really exciting team to be part of. It's certainly a challenge keeping up with such a fast moving dynamic business, but equally rewarding and I've received lots of support along the way. Right from the start I've felt like I'm making a valuable contribution to the business and its really inspiring working with such bright, dedicated people who are always ready to share their knowledge and help you develop.