One of the world’s most successful drinks manufacturers, Diageo, is looking for top graduates to strengthen their global success.

Of the 30,000 people who work with Diageo, one of the world’s largest producers of spirits and beers, more than half are part of the crucial Supply business.

Diageo’s supply operation is critical to the delivery of the firm’s performance ambition; to create the best performing, most trusted and respected consumer products company in the world. Encompassing production planning, procurement, manufacturing and logistics, all working together to get world class products from grain to glass.

Working across six continents, Diageo – whose brands include household names such as Smirnoff, Johnnie Walker, Baileys and Guinness – offer one of the most impressive Graduate Programmes in the country.

Diageo knows that it must attract and recruit the top performing graduates to keep the talent pipeline strong.

“Our graduate programme is key to providing us with a high-potential talent, as well as a diverse workforce,” says Katy Douglas, Early Careers Specialist in the International Supply Centre and Global Supply.

“We also recognise that the graduate programme is a key feeder of innovation, diverse thinking, and the most up-to-date knowledge and training.

“The Supply Graduate Programme provides graduates with the opportunity to grow within a supportive and inclusive culture with a focus on continuous learning, which is a key part of the programme for us.”

Diageo also offers accelerated development. All graduates will take part in the global development curriculum, as well as one-to-one coaching and mentoring, which is offered as a core of our programme.

“Graduates are always put into real roles,” adds Katy. “You’ll be placed in a genuine role that has to deliver for the business – roles that are exciting and challenging as well as a real opportunity to develop and grow.”

“At Diageo we follow the 70/20/10 model of learning. We recognise that the most effective way to learn is from hands on experience therefore, 70% of your learning comes from time spent in the job learning from experience, 20% of your learning comes from on the job coaching and learning from your peers and 10% of your learning comes from formal training. In recognition of different learning styles our graduates have access to a plethora of blended learning opportunities from face to face or virtual classroom events, formal accreditations, to podcasts, blogs and videos through our Learning HUB.”

Although the graduates are mainly based in Scotland, England, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, including the iconic Guinness brewery, those who express a desire to explore the world can find themselves in Diageo’s international offices.

Vittoria Gatti has just completed her three-year programme and is now working in the Amsterdam office as a Planner.

After studying at the Politecnico di Milano in her home of Italy and graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Materials and Nanotechnology Engineering, Vittoria came to the UK and studied for an MSc in Polymer Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Manchester.

Just before graduation she visited a Careers Fair at the university and had a conversation with representatives of Diageo about what the Graduate Programme could offer her.

“It was through the fair that I learned what a graduate programme was, as we don’t have those in Italy. I was attracted to the stand by these brands that I recognised. Once we’d had a long talk, I realised it was a good fit for me, so I applied a couple of days later. I went through the assessment and I was hired.”

The first year of the Graduate Programme saw Vittoria in Dublin as a Change Supply Project Lead. “In the first year you will generally be placed into a role which has some connection with what you studied.  In my case I went to research and development branch which is called Innovation and Brand Change.

“What that meant day-to-day was being involved in the launch of a new Irish whiskey called Roe & Co, where I had the responsibility of testing the materials, which included trying to break the glass! Obviously, glass has to withstand transfer. It was really hands-on but was a good use of what I had studied in materials.”

Every year there is a conversation with the Talent Manager to look at the available positions within Diageo and which function suits best – not for the next year but towards long-term ambitions. In the second year I was in Edinburgh, in Global Operational Excellence Strategy and Standards. I became manager for Paraguay, Uruguay, and places like Vietnam. I had to look at improvement processes in those markets, if we could improve areas such as logistics – maybe how we could use our shipping better.”

In her third year, Vittoria returned to Italy to work as a Manufacturing Excellence Lead in a production facility, where she had a chance to work with operators on the line.

“Again, I was working on improving processes, but one thing you’ll find is that projects can have different timescales so you’re learning to work in terms of what the project requires and when it needs to be delivered.”

Vittoria says that the different roles provides the opportunity to understand how the company works and how different parts of supply interact with each other, as well as improving soft skills.

Now working as a Planner, Vittoria chose to be available for travel, but says it isn’t something that all graduates choose to do. She found Diageo a positive place to be from day one. “I really feel that life is being celebrated every day and everywhere. I’ve always felt that all the graduates in the programme have been supported to explore their own purpose and fulfil that here every day.”

For more information on Diageo’s Graduate Programme, visit www.diageo.com/en/careers/
graduate-programme/supply-graduate-programme/