Debora van der Zee-Denekamp’s Post

Today I’m celebrating my 30th work anniversary at Nestlé. When looking at my career, people usually refer to my “humble beginnings”, which I’m very proud of. However, my Supply Chain journey didn’t start when I joined Nestlé at the age of 20, or even in my previous employer, a truck dealership. Coincidentally, my father was a truck driver for many years, and I was blessed with the opportunity to join him in unforgettable trips when I was a teenager. Loading, unloading, and even driving his truck (always the best part!) provided me with initial insights about the exciting world of logistics and its challenges. Besides that, I learned so many values from him, especially the importance of Integrity and Hard Work, that allowed me to grow at a very early stage of my life, personally and professionally. From joining this great company as an intern in a warehouse (memorable experiences doing case picking and driving forklifts!), to be leading today Supply Chain in one of its largest operations, was only possible thanks to all incredible teams and some amazing leaders that I had the privilege to work with, and I’m very grateful to them. Nevertheless, the person who has been always by my side during most of my tenure at Nestlé was my wife, Doris Vega. Being a Nestlé expat herself when we first met, she was the one motivating me to initiate my international career, even if that would sacrifice her own. Similarly, after doing her MBA at IE Business School, she also encouraged me to do the same, knowing that working as Head of Supply Chain and studying at that outstanding, yet demanding school, would limit significantly the time I could spent with our family, with a newborn. During the last 20 years, Doris has been always supporting and challenging me to become a better version of myself at every new assignment. True, 30 years is a very long time! When I regularly get the question “why do I stay that long in the same company” the answer is pretty much straightforward, since who would not like to work for the largest (and best) food & beverage company in the world, while continuously having opportunities for professional development and growth? Now, if asked how I got where I am today, the credit really goes to my dad & wife.

LinkedIn just reminded me that I’m celebrating my 5-year anniversary at Unilever! 🎉 It’s hard to believe it’s been half a decade already. Time flies when you're part of an incredible team and working on impactful projects. I’ve had the privilege to be at the forefront of our two big digital transformation and to contribute to numerous challenging projects in a constantly evolving landscape. I wanted to share my top 5 key learnings from this journey: 1/ Embrace Innovation: Unilever's commitment to innovation has taught me to always seek new ways to drive growth and efficiency. Staying ahead in the digital space requires constant adaptation and flexibility. 2/ Resilience and Adaptability: Navigating through challenges and changes is part of the journey. Unilever has shown me the value of resilience and the ability to adapt quickly to new circumstances, ensuring sustained progress and success. 3/ Collaboration is Key: Working alongside brilliant colleagues across various departments has reinforced the importance of collaboration. Great ideas become groundbreaking when we work together. 4/ Strive to Learn: Continuous learning is vital in staying relevant and effective, especially in a Digital world. Lifelong learning mindset and curiosity is crucial in your professional development. 5/ Strategic Vision: Unilever's long-term vision has shown me the importance of aligning daily tasks with broader strategic goals. Keeping sight of the bigger picture ensures that every effort contributes to our overarching mission. I am deeply grateful for the opportunities Unilever has provided me. Thank you to my amazing team and everyone who has been part of this journey. Here’s to many more years of growth and innovation! 🌍🚀 #Unilever #DigitalTransformation #Innovation #Marketing

It's been more than a year for me working at Danone. During this time, I learned that if you want to improve something, never think about sophisticated things first, but just go to the employees and listen to what they think the pain points in our role. Long story short, I learned that most employees need more engagement. So again, I didn't start with big things. I just started with sending messages to the employees in their important moments, and thankfully, Danone offers some benefits that they can get in those moments, so I also remind them about it. If an employee is getting married or having a newborn baby, I congratulate them. If an employee is celebrating their work anniversary, I thank them for their dedication and hard work. If an employee is experiencing grief, I send my condolences and offer some help. It seems very time-consuming to send them messages one by one, but in the end, it is very rewarding. They thank me for being present and offering support in their important moments. Moreover, the relationship didn't stop there. I even get to know more about their issues, family, jobs, etc. which sometimes can be an insight for me to make another improvement. Slowly the small things we start will create a bigger result. #bennysthought #startsmall

I completed an incredible 14 years at PepsiCo today. These years went by in a breeze, and I'm super proud of what I have achieved. I am sharing a few lessons I learned in the last 20 years of my career journey. > Focus and consistency can make your idea come alive. > Stay focused and prioritize what's important and what's not. > You will not have all the answers and solutions to all the problems but you will find the right people who can give you the solutions or guide you so don't hesitate to ask for help. > Don't waste too much time on what others are doing rather build something which reflects your values and has your essence because no one can take that away from any founder. > When things go wrong or go slow, stay calm. Know that it's happening for a reason and you can only take the right decision and turn things around when you are in a calm state of mind. > Stay true to your purpose, Keep doing your work with 100% honesty and focus and no one can stop you from making a positive dent in the universe. > Celebrate small victories and aim for bigger ones. > Don't react but reflect.

Last Saturday it was 26 years ago that I joined Waters Corporation and typically I won't pay a lot of attention to my work anniversary, except for the big round numbers, like 15, 20 and 25. Though this time - thanks to the features of LinkedIn - from the moment I woke up on Saturday and still today I keep getting congratulation wishes in direct messages and comments and likes on a post LinkedIn generated itself. So I started to think ... 😀 First of all it's nice to get all these messages and I am sure it's good for the dopamine-instant-social media happiness emotions. 🎂 26 years is indeed a lot and probably not that common sense anymore nowadays. ❓ So ... what made me stay for 26 years? 🔬 Absolutely the customers that really want to work together, share their challenges, define problems and think about solutions. They keep us at the top of our toes, moving the needle day after day with respect for each other's needs. 🌳 For sure a group of good managers that supported me, that challenged me and that gave me opportunities to grow and to learn. 🕸 The big network of colleagues in the "maze" that Waters sometimes can be. 🚫 The people leaders that made it obvious on how I would not like to lead people, and therefore emphasizing the importance of transparency, trust and admitting that there is plenty that you don't know (yet). 🌈 Opportunities that came via specific projects totally out of my comfort zone, and giving me the challenge that I need regularly. I love to start things from scratch or dismantle chaos into something that gives synergy. Not doing this in isolation, though bring a diverse group of people together to tackle the problem. Learn from the different viewpoints to make something better, better than yesterday. 🌞 Thank You, I am grateful for the 26 years. Let's see what the future brings ...

Last week, I celebrated my 4th anniversary at PepsiCo. While three years might sound more attractive and five marks a small jubilee, these four years deserve a moment of reflection and appreciation (apologies to those/my people who dislike long posts 🤭). I made the decision to change job in the midst of the pandemic, during a time when the concept of working from home was new and unknown to everyone, especially to someone like me who works in communications. From that perspective, it might have seemed frightening. However, ‘calculated risk’ is a phrase that perfectly describes the decision I made in 2020. My journey at PepsiCo so far can be summed up in two words: transformation and mentorship. These past years have been a rollercoaster of personal and professional growth. The most important lesson I’ve learned is that everything is changeable, respect towards those around you is crucial and it's vital to give yourself credit when you’ve done something well. We often associate development with structured programs and training, but I’ve come to realize that mentorship is the most effective method for growth and improvement. It’s the hidden mentorship that happens in everyday work, quietly and humbly. There are a few people I’d like to highlight, but they don't like to be exposed in this way, so I will skip that 😊. I am immensely grateful to them, as well as to all my colleagues, some of whom have become my friends -- I hope they will continue to be part of my journey, no matter where it leads. ☀️ The photo below is of a Zen garden that looks anything but Zen; it has become a gathering place filled with countless stories and memories. And that, for me, is the best kind of Zen. 🍀

"Friends said, I was planning to retire with Coca-Cola, when I started." The Coca-Cola Company was my second employer. I was just beginning my career journey. It was the year of 2014, when I joined as a young manager. Since then I went on to take up multiple roles, ran multiple #projects, worked across #geographies, got #promoted, created #impact, made friends. While I enjoyed my stints at Coca-Cola, many colleagues and peers moved onto different organizations. Some joked about my ongoing tenure at Coca-Cola and said I might have intentions to stay till my #retirement. ✴️ In 2019, I was awarded "Long Service Recognition Award". ✴️ I went on to work there till 2022. ✴️ So the joke now is : If not retirement with #CocaCola, I atleast managed to get #gratuity in my early career! 😄 Why 8 long years in an organization in early career? You might wonder. So, here my take : ✅️ It's about building a #career, not just a #resume. ✅️ Contrary to the advice to jump jobs, I've gained immense value from building relationships, working with exceptional leaders, leading projects at The Coca-Cola Company and creating a foundation that helps me build a lasting career. ✅️ There is always a sweet #tradeoff between switching jobs for pay hike, and leveraging your credibility to grow faster, at your existing organization. For young professionals: Always remember it's never a #sprint, but a #marathon, so choose your pace smartly. PS : A happy memory from the day of the award, with Harsh Bhutani

🌟 This week marks my 12.5-year anniversary at Heineken! 🌟 I was caught by surprise this week when I was handed a gift for my 12.5-year work anniversary. Over the weekend, I took some time to reflect on these 12.5 years. When I share my work history at Heineken, many are surprised by the diverse disciplines I’ve worked in. While this is true, there is one central theme throughout my journey, both before and at Heineken: all roles have to do with User-Centered Product/Process Development & Innovation. I joined Heineken in 2011 as part of Global Commerce Innovation. With a background in Supply Chain, R&D, and Innovation, Commerce was a new area for me. And wow, did I learn a lot about building winning propositions! Many learnings have followed, from reshaping teams after reorganizations, shaping R&D and Digital Innovation strategies, designing and simplifying ways of working, to jointly delivering amazing results. But let’s be honest, it wasn’t always fun. Yet, I’m grateful for all the opportunities I’ve been given. More importantly, I am grateful to all my dear colleagues throughout the organization and around the globe 💚, who have made this such an amazing journey. A big ‘Thank you!’ to my managers, my team members, and all allies who have helped me become the leader I am today. #Heineken #Innovation #ProductDevelopment #SupplyChain #R&D #DigitalInnovation #Packaging #CareerMilestone

Yesterday was my 2nd anniversary in AB InBev! Cheers to a future with more cheers 🍻🍻🍻 Super grateful to my former director (former line manager at some point) Herman Franken (Dr.) for the push! I also got my first ever promotion in my career last month which was quite timely (just a month before my work anniversary). I’ve heard from different people how stagnant they’ve been on their roles at work, here’s how I avoided such: 1. Try to find better ways to work eg arrange or simplify your work files. 2. Get involved in work activities where you can learn new things and acquire new skills eg engaging in new projects. 3. Help your colleagues out with the little you can when they are overwhelmed or when they come to you knowing you are a SME (subject matter expert), truth is someday you might be in their shoes and might need some assistance. After all we share the same organizational goal. Remember, together we achieve more! 4. Take courses to get better with a skill or improve your knowledge and practice it eg managing a team or financial accounting. Trust me no knowledge is a waste. 5. Embrace new tasks outside your scope of work, you learn from it and it shows your line manager and colleagues that you have a growth mindset and you are ready for the next level. 6. Ask for help where necessary, it’s important so you don’t wear yourself out. Asking for help is part of growth and not bad. 7. Document your wins whether big or small. They motivate you on days when you are feeling blue and trust me it happens to the best of us. #WomeninTech #WomeninBeer #DatatipsandtrickswithChidubem

A lesson in leadership from one of our founders. 💚