Experience

Sweetdreams Confectionery
• United Kingdom
• Food and Beverage Manufacturing
• 1 - 100 Employee
• Senior Product and Innovation Manager

  • Aug 2022 - Present


Doisy & Dam

• United Kingdom
• Food and Beverage Services

• Head of Product

  • Apr 2022 - Aug 2022

• New Product Development Specialist

  • Jan 2019 - Jun 2022



Divine Chocolate UK

• United Kingdom
• Food and Beverage Services
• 1 - 100 Employee

• NPD Project Manager

  • Apr 2018 - Dec 2018

• New Product Development Co-ordinator

  • Feb 2015 - Dec 2018

  Manage the NPD process. Key responsibilities...Project mangement - managing a variety of projects simultaneously to time, cost and quality. - Communicating and presenting project status to MD and other senior management teams. - Briefing all new products to external suppliers and manufacturers, understanding their capabilities and restraints. Building up strong relationship with all suppliers/manufacturers. - Costing - leasing with colleagues on volumes, specifications, tooling and design costs, negotiating with suppliers to raise product costings. New Product Development - understanding of chocolate manufacturing. - awareness of chocolate, confectionary, packaging and other market trends. Awareness of Fairtrade trends.- Carrying out competitive shop reports on key competitors to Divine. - General understanding of Food Law in EU and USA. Understanding of Fairtrade requirements, completing Fairtrade certifications for all new products, submitting final artwork for their approval, liaising with Foundation about supplier certifications. Print and artwork - briefing and managing designers and illustrators on new projects, amending artwork. - amending and adjusting artwork on Adobe Illustrator. - Ensuring correct execution of Divine brand when briefing all artwork amends and updates. - Ensuring correct final sign off is completed by all appreciate external and internal teams. - Accurate proofing of all artwork. - General understanding and knowledge of print and varnish specifications. Packaging - Generating new and innovation packaging that fits in with key trends and the Divine brand. - hand making mock ups suitable for Sales team pitches and photography. -staying up to date with packaging trends, development, legal requirements and news. - visting packaging suppliers to understand capabilities. - making sure the environment is taken into consideration, packaging efficiency, material, translation. Show less



Hotel Chocolat

• United Kingdom
• Retail
• 700 & Above Employee

• Buyers Assistant

  • Oct 2011 - Jul 2014

  Worked in a fast paced, creative, ever changing environment. Being organised and prioritising work was key. Supporting the Buying Manager, Senior Buyer and other Buyers. Key responsibilities... - supported buyers with new product development, briefing new concepts to suppliers, requesting quotes from suppliers. - ensured all products were accurately set up across all channels. - sample management, set up an archiving system to ensure all samples and prototypes were organised and clearly labelled. - Carried out competitive shop reports, writing up findings and reporting finding to buyers. - Set up and populating costing sheets with packaging components/chocolates. - Briefed packaging amends to suppliers and signing off final samples. Gaining an understanding of suppliers and their capabilities. - Developing an understanding of print and varnish specifications and packaging such as, folding box board, rigid boxes, plastic thermoformed packaging (trays), acetate, pads, wood, glass, textiles. - Helped set up the range sign off of all new product ranges with heads of department and CEO of Hotel Chocolate. - Raised all new components packaging specifications. - Attended and helped arrange photo shoots for all new product ranges. - Trained new buyers administrators on internal programs. - Briefed new product ranges to internal departments. Show less


EAST
• Spain
• Advertising Services
• 1 - 100 Employee
• Retail Sales Advisor

  • 2006 - 2011