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Case Study

Name: Jacqui Eyles
Position: Bunnings National Segment Sales Manager
Company: Carter Holt Harvey
Qualifications: Post Graduate Diploma (Masters Program) in Marketing

What are the responsibilities of your position?
The Bunnings account is a significant part of Carter Holt Harvey’s business, so I manage, both strategically and operationally, the account with a view to developing and maintaining a profitable and progressive relationship with Bunnings.
I manage a sales team of eight people across the company and also an external merchandising team to deliver service coverage Australia wide for the Bunnings network.
Managing internal relationships and providing information to ensure reliable supply to Bunnings is also an important part of my role. 

What do you most enjoy about your job?
The biggest buzz that I get out of my job day to day would be succeeding! Marketing a new product and seeing it do well. Being involved and knowing it’s come all the way through from its infancy, and then to get it out there and selling is a very satisfying experience.

And your favourite aspect of being part of the industry?
The people in this industry are incredibly down to earth and it’s not so much – I’ve been through a number of companies now – just Carter Holt Harvey, I believe it’s actually an industry-wide benefit. 
There are a lot of mums and dads in the industry and you can forge strong relationships with a wide variety of people.

Would you encourage this industry to someone with an interest in marketing?
Marketing in this industry is particularly rewarding because of the volume of product sold, the importance of the product, and the amount of organising and strategy behind it.
A product management role is all encompassing so not only am I dealing with the typical commodity lines, but now with significant product innovation coming through, there’s new advances in the industry that makes it really exciting to be in my position.
I would definitely encourage anyone with a marketing or sales background to work in this industry. The industry is crying out for it, and there are countless opportunities in a variety of locations and positions.

Is the sustainability of the industry relevant to you?
The environmental connection in this role is very important to me. I wouldn’t have come into a business that wasn’t a sustainable industry.
There’s also the element that we’re building something tangible, that’s important too but I wouldn’t have worked for a company that wasn’t environmentally friendly.
 
We spoke to Jacqui about her career and what she does day to day. We hope you find this useful and interesting – but please remember, that all jobs are not exactly the same and other roles with the same title may be different in many respects. You should confirm all the details of a particular job with the organisation offering it.