Well it's been quite some time since I last blogged. It was almost a monthly occurrence in undergrad. But a lot has happened since then. Let me catch you up to speed.
Post graduating in 2016, I landed a job at The Coca-Cola Company as a Retail Accounts Receivable Collections Analyst, starting January 2017. I supported our natural VEB (Venturing & Emerging Brands) portfolio within the Minute Maid Business Unit (MMBU). This role definitely helped me grow and develop as I had to overcome the challenges of this being a new space within MMBU, so there was lots of opportunities for new processes and streamlining the work.
I became an aunt (aka FeFe) in June 2017 and although he is a monster, I love him to pieces.
A year later, I was recommended to put in for a role in the VEB Trade & Promotions space, and behold I landed the job and began March 2018 as a Customer Marketing Analyst supporting the VEB Brand Finance and Sales teams with trade promotions processing against our brand G/L accounts. Being that I had the knowledge of an A/R analyst, I was able to streamline the workflow to speed up current processes through collaboration of all end-to-end stakeholders. This role was based at the Atlanta HQ, so it lead to me moving out. I rented out a condo in Buckhead for a few months and ended up getting an apartment in Sandy Springs later on.
Unfortunately, my role was impacted due to company reorg effective August 31, 2019. And I thought my time at Coke was coming to an end. But I got a phone call a week before I was to leave, asking me to come back as an A/R analyst til the end of the year to help clear out backlog in my former accounts. It was a blessing in disguise as it bought me some time to continue searching for something more secure. Towards the end, we all thought we may get extended due to the work. But the chopping board was coming in too close.
I was fortunate to have been recommended for another role on the Contour Project to backfill a colleague moving onto a promotion. Before I knew it, I was sitting in the interview and a few days later, I got the call. I began as a Global Reporting Lead for Billing, Accounts Receivable and Reimbursements in January 2020 for an internal ERP system transformation project. My role was to make sure that business requirements align with the new system when it came to the automation of formerly manual reports. And like my previous roles in the company, this one came at full speed.
And then covid hit.... The business took a pause to re-evaluate the situation. The project was extended til 2021 and we focused on other priorities during this period. Unfortunately, the company had to release our external partners to conserve costs internally. And this lead to a skyrocket volume of STAs (short term assignment roles) to help support work in multiple departments. These roles would be done coincide your day job. I happen to come across one for Digital Commerce Marketing. I put in that I was interested, and was reached out to speak with. Turns out, I knew the colleague who had posted the role and she has known my passion for wanting to break into marketing for quite some time. Before I knew it, I began my STA leading our grocery intermediary customers. Another fast paced space, I was pushed in to learn the ropes, but I was super grateful to have a leader and a team that was so supportive in helping me pick up on the work. We have just finished our Q3 marketing activation executions and will begin Q4 planning. I will be rolling off soon to go back to my day job full-time, but this was definitely an opportunity of a lifetime.
While all this was going on, I decide to move back home to save some money as I was already practically living there with quarantine. It finally gave me a chance to reconnect with my family and spend more time with my nephew and be a part of the little one coming soon in January 2021.
Now that I look back at everything that has happened in the last few years, I have been quite fortunate and blessed. Yes I have had my fair challenges like everyone else, but I try to rise from the ashes like a phoenix and keep on going. What breaks you, only makes you stronger.
Til next time,
Krisna
