We’re AB InBev, brewer of some of the world’s best beers, like Stella Artois, Corona and our American brand Budweiser. Read Alice’s story about her experience with our Commercial Management Traineeship (CMT). 

Introduce yourself, your career at AB InBev, your current role and responsibilities. 

I’m Alice, I started at Budweiser Brewing Group in August 2020 as a Leased Account Manager. This is an On-Trade field sales role where we look after 6 different pub groups. We go round to their pubs and work very closely with their regional managers. We go into the pub first, agree the install and try and get our brands on the bar and then we pass this on to the regional managers for approval so it’s quite a long process with a lot of people involved.  

My patch is the whole East of England, so from Nottingham down to Suffolk and across to Coventry, so I spend a lot of time in the car.  I’ve got very used to the radio and spending time at the petrol station! I am absolutely loving the role, it’s been an amazing year and I couldn’t have asked for a better grad job! 

What are your thoughts on being on a graduate programme, and what made you pick AB InBev? 

I always wanted a job on a graduate scheme. That was my thing, as I think grad jobs get you a lot of exposure within a company and the opportunity to work with people your own age and coming in as a group has a lot of advantages. Everyone is always so helpful, and you can always reach out to anyone because as soon as you say you are on the graduate scheme, colleagues know who you are and are very keen to help out.  

In terms of AB InBev, I studied economics at university and was going to go down the accounting route but once I got to the assessment centres I realilsed that it wasn’t for me. My parents both work for big food and drink companies so they suggested I go into food and drink and that was when I applied for AB InBev. Whilst going through the recruitment process I was thinking “I want this job”. I put so much effort into getting the place, more than I ever had before, and that was how I knew I wanted it. I’ve not looked back since! 

Since joining AB InBev what has been one of the biggest challenges you have faced? 

The obvious one is furlough. I really struggled on furlough, but the business was so supportive and we had regular keeping in touch calls and wellbeing activities. Day-to-day though, for me, it is the size of my patch personally.  My line manager has been really supportive though, and we are having conversations about reducing the size of my patch so that I spend less time away from home. It’s been fantastic being able to have this open dialogue and looking for a solution together.  

Any advice you would give to future graduates? 

I would network as much as you possibly can. If you are on a zoom call, smile; if someone says interact on the zoom chat, get involved. Don’t be afraid to pick up the phone and reach out, people say it all the time and I never initially believed them but that is honestly my biggest piece of advice.