women learning together across borders

It’s part of our mission to foster a gender-inclusive work environment, empowering women to thrive and grow – at work and in life.  We are a proud partner of The Vedica Scholars Programme for Women, a unique post-graduate programme in Management practice and Leadership in Delhi, India. It was the second time we welcomed Vedica scholars as part of the shadowing module, specially designed to expose Vedica’s scholars to senior women leaders through mentoring. It is an opportunity for the scholars to learn about leadership by joining the women leaders routines and contributing to the projects they manage.

For two months, three Vedica scholars followed eighteen CCHBC’s women leaders across borders, gaining an extensive view of our organization and the priorities at a hand. This gave them an opportunity to practice key leadership skills before joining the workforce, and even more ...

We met the three scholars, Aakanksha, Aditi and Harnoor, and talked to them about their experience being part of the Coca-Cola HBC leadership team for six weeks.

Nice to meet the three of you! Tell us about yourself.

I am Harnoor from Delhi, India.  I have a background in Food Engineering and am currently pursuing an MBA program. I have always been intrigued by FMCGs and the way they operate. Getting an opportunity to be part of Coca-Cola HBC was an absolute delight! I spent 6 weeks here working in various functions like E-Commerce, Human Resources, Coffee Business Development etc. It was a very comprehensive and a beautifully curated journey for me.

Personally, I am someone who absolutely loves to travel- being amidst nature with beautiful surroundings is something I enjoy the most. Also, I love FOOD! So, working for the Greece BU was an icing on the cake as people in Greece are as passionate about food as us Indians. I love music- I have a different playlist for different moods. My love for music made me curate a music playlist for some of my colleagues at CCH-while I shared my favorite Indian songs with them, they shared their amazing Greek playlist with me.

I am Aakanksha, and my name in Indian translates to ‘a wish’. My curiosity keeps me going and my penultimate wish is to be on an odyssey of learning: from people, perspectives and places. The sheer urge to know, discover and unlearn led me to Vedica Scholar's Programme for Women. Before joining Vedica, I worked at Hindustan Times 's Mint (India’s leading business newspaper) as a start-up reporter. Needless to say, I find my solace in language. I breathe through books, poetry and water-painted bookmarks.

I am Aditi and I come from Delhi, India. I love dancing and practicing yoga. I have a younger sister who is my travel buddy, and we love exploring new places and exotic foods together. Few years back, I have traveled across South East Asia, teaching yoga to diverse people and enjoying varied gastronomical adventures. I am passionate about helping people and I have taught underprivileged children for non-profit organizations in India and Laos.  

What attracted you to the mentoring module with us?

Aditi: I grew up in Europe and the Middle East, and I want to pursue a career in Human Capital Management. After completing Munich International School in Germany, and graduating Economics at the University of Delhi, I have worked in consulting with Ernst & Young in Oman as Analyst. The mentorship programme at Coca-Cola HBC appealed me as I had the chance to work on variety of projects in the HR domain. 

Aakanksha: My professional mission is to find meaning in my work. When thinking about meaning and work, I remember what Viktor Frankl says in Man’s Search for Meaning, “For success, like happiness, cannot be pursued. It must ensue, and it only does so as the un-ended side-effect of one’s personal dedication to a cause greater than oneself…” So, in all likelihood, I would be a poet by the night and a consultant by the day 😊. o.Maybe one day, I will also venture into taking my first steps to become an author. In essence, I don’t want to take over the world but take part in it—meaningfully, and not just be a bystander. Until then, here’s a fun fact: I can speak gibberish poetically and even fluently when sleep deprived. :)

What have you learned?

Aditi: I worked on redesigning an Early Talents Trainee Programme, also creating a plan for D&I initiatives in Bosnia, joined a leaders’ lab workshop in Romania and framed Women’s network activities for the headquarter in Switzerland. It was amazing to collaborate in multi-cultural teams, driving solutions as per the market needs and learning through exchange of ideas. I observed how my mentors solved problems and managed diverse teams. Working on this variety of projects with the example of the women leaders helped me to stay focused on the main target, to plan and prioritize better, and to value the power of the real teamwork.

Harnoor: I learned a lot, and met so many teams – Big Data Analytics, People Analytics, L&C and Supply Chain among other. The exposure to work in various functions and with different mentors taught me how important is to adapt quick and be agile. 

Definitely, I increased my business acumen. For these two months, I worked on 5 different projects in 5 different functions - from researching and benchmarking in Sales through E-Commerce activation strategies, to analyzing the changing models of work with respect to covid-19.

Being close to my mentors, made me understand the leadership journey first hand. What challenges I may expect, how to balance my professional and private life and how to build confidence are of utmost important for me as a future leader.

Aakanksha: In a summary - 5 Women, 6 Weeks, 10 Research Projects, and infinite learnings.

I learnt the importance of kind and warm-hearted leadership. The authenticity, emotional quotient, and kindness of the folks at Coca-Cola HBC from Day 0 impressed me (even before the mentorship commenced). Time and again, leaders displayed empathy in team conversations and built rapport with team members. This makes the learning even more fulfilling.

Meanwhile, the fast pace work environment at CCHBC was enthralling. It kept me on my toes, enticing me to ideate, indulge, and contribute in many different ways. One day I was exploring the Future of Work with the HR Team in Austria, and on another analyzing the e-commerce landscape in the Czech Republic. To work cross-functionally across Marketing, Sales and HR helped me gain understanding of my interest in corporate strategy. Having the chance to sit in the Senior Leadership meeting in Austria BU or to brainstorm with the Marketing Directors from various regions encouraged me to think about strategies to fuel existing portfolios, sustain growth in products, and phase out the rest when planning for the next business year. Exposure to multiple business units - Austria, Serbia, Czech Republic and Bulgaria – was icing on the cake – to know about developing and developed markets for the business while exploring so many cultures.

My key takeaway – have the knowledge of what you know, and what you don’t know, and build a support system that acts as your anchor. 

How was it to work with a Coca-Cola HBC mentor?

Harnoor: My relationship with my mentor extends much beyond that of a mentor and a mentee. She was my anchor and my constant support system throughout my journey at CCHBC. I still remember my first meeting with her where she asked me about my expectations from the program to streamline my learning process. It was not only about enabling me to understand how the business works but making sure I get to know more about topics I have always been passionate about – e.g. how big data and analytics change the landscape of HR and Marketing. This module gave me perfect opportunity to understand both the functions and how organizations drive their decisions.

She introduced me to her team and in the very first week gave me an opportunity to work on the Sales Academy project that really helped me understand a lot of new aspects about the Group Commercial team at Coca-Cola HBC. Not only that, I presented my work to a lot of senior leaders in the organization which was honestly, an amazing boost of confidence for me. I absolutely loved the way CCH designed the program for us and meeting my mentor (Giota) was a cherry on the cake for me.