Magnus Glennborn

Department :  Consumer International, Sales and Marketing, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Education :  Bachelor of Business Administration, University of Gothenburg, Jönköping (SWE), International Business School (SWE), University of South Carolina (USA) & Soochow University (Taiwan)

Current job:
I am currently working at a local sales/marketing office in Dubai  (United Arab Emirates), which is a part of one of Arla Foods global business units called “Consumer International”.  My work consists of certain project of various sizes and within all business units, i.e. Retail/Key Account/Marketing/Foodservice/HR. I run the project along with the business unit manager who is supporting my work, but I am personally responsible of the outcome. The main project is a business development case for Foodservice, where an extensive market analysis along with a study of our internal operations will create the foundation of a new strategy for the business unit. As a F15 graduate here in Dubai am I apart from the projects, always involved in meetings within the business unit where I am current working as well as all management meetings. Working for Arla Foods truly means working for a global company and cultural awareness is a must. The management group here in the UAE consist of nine people from six different countries, and we are operating on an extremely multicultural market where more than 85% of the population are not UAE nationals.

Why Arla:
During an internship for the Swedish trade council in Saudi Arabia, I got in contact with people working for Arla Foods in Riyadh. They told me about Arla Foods and how big the company was in the Middle East. Afterwards I did some reading on my own and realized the possibilities within the company and when the F15 program was launched I did not hesitate a second. The program promised to provide an opportunity to work at different departments in various markets, and that you would be exposed to the whole value chain from the cow to the consumer. The fact that it is a two-year program also means that there is enough time at every position to get a deep understanding of the operations, and for you to contribute and add value. I did not realize it beforehand, but being a part of a program that includes many graduates, means that you will build a network and get insight from all corners from the organization.  I am currently the only one participating in the program working in the Middle East, but I frequently meet my fellow F15 colleagues at training sessions and workshops in Scandinavia.

Future:
Since I started the program abroad will my next step be to go back and work in one of our “home markets” in Scandinavia. Interesting positions at different departments in Denmark and Sweden makes it difficult to choose where to go next, but I believe my next stop will be at the head office in Aarhus. I am still not half way through the program and thus it is to early to say where I will end up, but I am confident that I will find a challenge that fulfills my expectations.