Carloyn Metcalfe

 

What first interested you in a career with AkzoNobel?

Before I joined AkzoNobel, I had quite strong preconceptions about the company, as members of my family had worked for them in the past.  I’d always seen the company as a very good employer and one that treats its employees very well, but I also thought it was quite an old fashioned, traditional company.  However, when I started to read about how the company strives to continuously change and be at the forefront of its industry I was really surprised to learn how innovative it was.  Throughout the selection process, I met a range of really proactive, interesting and driven people who really impressed me. 

What were your first impressions of AkzoNobel?

When I first joined AkzoNobel, I was amazed by how enthusiastic and committed everyone is to seeing the business succeed.  There’s a great team atmosphere here, a real community of people who believe in our business and are determined to keep us at the leading edge of our industry.

What have your training experiences entailed?

As part of the Graduate Development Programme, I’ve received a range of training in many aspects of business and financial management and interpersonal effectiveness.  In addition, I’ve carried out hands-on projects in other functions to broaden my skills base and I’ve undergone function-specific training in subjects such a negotiation and influencing skills, legal issues, IT systems and project management.  I’ve also had a lot of on-the-job coaching and support as I’ve developed through my career.

Tell me about your career to date with AkzoNobel?

I’ve had a number of roles within the Purchasing Function; I started as the Financial Analyst for European purchasing, then I moved to a role as a buyer of raw materials for our UK paint plants.  Now, I look after the purchase for resale product portfolio, where I oversee all of the products that we sell, which we don’t make ourselves.  This includes a wide range of products from small quantities of niche products to the large scale manufacture of electrical goods such as the Dulux Paint Pod innovation, which was a huge project for our business.

During my career, I’ve faced some significant challenges, but also some fantastic experiences and opportunities to learn, including major product launches, sourcing from the Far East, cost management and supplier improvement programmes, internal process improvement work and people management.  I’ve had plenty of opportunities to travel, learning to do business across different cultures and time zones and have certainly learnt to juggle priorities!

My job can be extremely demanding and at times frustrating, but overall it is hugely rewarding as I can really see the impact that my work has on the business.

What does the future hold for you with AkzoNobel?

I’m not sure of exactly what the long term future holds for me, but I am confident that there are many opportunities across the business where I can broaden and develop my skills.  There are so many possibilities within AkzoNobel, if you drive your own career you really can go wherever you want to.  I’d like to go on a secondment abroad at some point in the future and to perhaps work in a different business unit – so we’ll see!

What are your interests away from work?

Away from work, I travel as much as I can and try to cram in as much time as possible in the great outdoors – running, walking, camping and horse riding.  I enjoy good food and wine wherever I travel too!