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Vlad's story: Catching lightning in a bottle

Coca‑Cola has great history, which means great quality, good processes, constant improvement and growth, and safety. I saw the Coca‑Cola Hellenic Bottling Company Management Trainee Programme RISE as an investment in myself.

I started at CCHBC in Romania in September 2015 and I was a Production Trainee for almost one and a half years. Then in February 2017 I was promoted to the Shift Supervisor position, despite the trainee role typically lasting two years. Now I run the glass bottling line, which supplies basically the entire country and I’m in charge of twenty-eight people.

This has been a huge responsibility to take on because it is the biggest team in the plant and my first time being a supervisor. There have been some big challenges but with the help of manager I have pushed through.

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I never thought I would be able to learn so much in so short a time. It pushes me to my limits, but this is the kind of experience I need for two to three years in order to take a big next step in my career.

Vlad Petca Production Shift Supervisor and former Management Trainee (Production), Romania

This kind of fast growth is not unusual at CCHBC largely thanks to the opportunities on offer and the support that is available to high-potential employees. My direct manager always guides me and supports me. He helps me identify which ideas are good and why. The “why” is key because it helps you learn and understand.

One of the things that has also really accelerated my growth has been the challenging work. The complexity of the plant surprised me at first, but I took it as a challenge. I knew that this kind of complexity would push me to the limit, but that’s how you learn a lot. That’s the environment I was looking for. Tomorrow will never be like today. Some days are more admin, some more technical, some physically on the production line working with the machinery. It’s all very dynamic, very challenging. There’s a lot of adrenaline.

I also have support from my colleagues from other departments as well. This level of learning is impossible to do by yourself.

You cannot succeed on your own, you must collaborate and learn from other departments and people next to you. We are always working toward the same goals. We are a team.

If there is only one of us not doing our job or supporting you, you will feel it or see it very quickly.

This approach to learning and winning together is a hallmark of the CCHBC values. CCHBC is a really good school! At the very start of your career it’s a very good experience with so many projects and so many challenges. That helps you a lot as an employee, it provides the best environment to learn a lot. It’s encouraging to see the older trainees already at higher levels because it shows that we hired good people and taught them successfully what was needed to help grow the business and deliver results. Bit by bit the younger generations are changing the environment in a positive way, gradually adapting our approach.

The collective pursuit of excellence is another critical value at CCHBC that keeps us driving forward. Continuous improvement, is a management concept for operations. Taking everything to the next level. Takes us to another level as well. Makes us learn. If we are pushed to the limits, we will continue to grow.

It’s amazing to think how far I have come to in such a short time. I am at a level I never thought of when I first started. Thinking back on it all, I would say that if you want to succeed at CCHBC be curious, ask questions, do not accept anything as given or fixed. Colleagues will appreciate your fresh eyes. Get to know the people around you, and work to understand them so you can do great things together.

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