Lucy Brooks

Current Role: Forecast Analyst, Thorntons Direct

Previous Role: Packaging Buyer

University Background: Graduated from Bournemouth University in 2007 with a BA (Hons) in Business Studies. I also completed a 1 year sandwich placement at Rolls-Royce Defence Aerospace.

Why Thorntons?
I chose Thorntons as a graduate employer due to their excellent reputation as a blue chip company and their strong brand image. Thorntons is unique in that it offers all the benefits of a large company whilst still being small enough to give real responsibility from day one.

My Role
I joined Thorntons as a Packaging Buyer. Working within the Purchasing department in Supply Chain, I was responsible for buying all of Thorntons ribbon & bows, gift boxes, gift wrap and labels. Most of my commodities were sourced from the Far East so I've been lucky enough to travel to China, Hong Kong and Thailand as a large part of my role was to find and evaluate new suppliers. Within this role I managed to save over £300,000 on various projects - that's straight off the bottom line!

I am now working as a Forecast Analyst for Thorntons Direct. This channel sits in our Retail Business Unit and includes our Consumer website, call centre and Corporate sales. I am responsible for forecasting sales for over 600 lines across 20 ranges for both Consumer and Corporate where our gross sales budget for the year is £9.4m! My role is key to ensuring that the right products are included in our promotional campaigns at the right time.

In addition to this, I have been given ownership of our online Sweetshop where we are selling a range of Tangerine products. My target is to drive sales of £120k by the end of December 2009.

I am also involved in analysing website statistics, such as conversion and visitor numbers, to ensure that our new Thorntons website is performing better than last year.

Training & Development
Since joining Thorntons, I've had a mixture of internal and external training. I have received a large amount of on the job training and have attended courses centered around negotiation techniques and contract management.

Overall Experience So Far...
I'm thoroughly enjoying my time at Thorntons. I've been given the opportunity to work on a vast range of interesting projects and continue to learn every day.

Natalie Atkinson

Current Role: Graduate Transport Group Leader

University Background: In 2007 I graduated from Durham University with an upper second class honours in English Literature.

Why Thorntons?
Thorntons is a leading UK company and it is a pleasure to work for a brand that consumers have a great affection for. Furthermore the size of the business and the fact that it is vertically integrated means that I have the opportunity to view the business as a whole on a daily basis and meet regularly with key stakeholders.

At Thorntons, you will find that the business will invest a lot in you, giving you plenty of responsibility and challenges from day one whilst also focusing on your development.

My Role
As a Transport Group Leader, I am responsible for scheduling the fleet of vehicles that we use to deliver to our retail and franchise stores. The role involves managing a team of thirty-eight drivers to ensure that our products reach the customer on time, in full, and most importantly within the law.

In addition to this I am currently looking at ways to improve our operational performance and am working on a project which aims to reduce the fleet's carbon footprint by 15%.

Overall Experience So Far...
I am really enjoying my experience at Thorntons. Each day I learn something new about the business, logistics and line management. As a business Thorntons is striving to deliver consistent improvement and this makes it a really exciting and dynamic company to work for.

By far the most important thing I have learned so far is that people make the business what it is.

Russell Dunn

Current Role : Demand Analyst

University Background: I graduated from Aston University in 2008 with a BSc (Hons) in Business and Management which included a 13 month industrial placement with Intel Corporation (UK) Ltd.

Why Thorntons?
I wanted to work for an organisation which could provide a structured personal development programme and genuine opportunities to progress within an organisation. Also having worked in one of Thorntons' stores during my studies I already had a degree of knowledge about the organisation and also found it to be a good place to work.

My Role
I am currently in my first placement as a Demand Analyst in Thorntons' Planning and Supply department. This role requires me to manage the flow of demand from the customer facing side of the business through to the manufacturing and supply side, meaning that essentially I am responsible for coordinating over £250m worth of business. This role has helped further my analytical skills and gives me exposure to several cross functional business areas.

Training & Development:
Since joining I've had a induction period which provided me with an insight into all the different business areas from NPD, to finance, to operations and extensive on the job training which helped accelerate my learning.

Overall Experience So Far...
I've thoroughly enjoyed my time at Thorntons thus far and look forward to the new placements and challenges ahead.

Chris Brook

Current Role: Production Scheduler (Enrobing)

University Background: I graduated from Nottingham University with a BSc (Hons) in Geography.

Why Thorntons?
The initial factor that attracted me to Thorntons Graduate Programme was the company itself, in particular its strong brand image and reputation for achieving excellence. I was also attracted to the size of Thorntons as a company. On the one hand, Thorntons' status as a national organisation allows it to offer a graduate programme that provides diversity in work activities and training opportunities. On the other hand, Thorntons' size allows the potential for early responsibility and a chance to have a real personal impact on the development of the company. This balance provides an ideal environment to develop professionally and personally.

My Role
My first placement is as a scheduler of Thornton's six enrobing production lines. My key responsibility is to ensure that products are scheduled to the correct volume and mix to satisfy customer demand. This requires both short-term and long-term planning of over 200 different products, with weekly production levels of up to 300 tonnes per week!

The scheduling department is at the 'heart' of Thorntons' business, with continuous communication required with all areas of the business. This has provided me with an opportunity to build working relationships across the whole business and develop knowledge of Thorntons' operations and processes.

Training & Development
During my time at Thorntons, I have received a combination of extensive on-the-job and external training. In addition to my day-to-day role as a scheduler, I am also a member of 'Thorntons Operations Academy'. During the bi-weekly training course, I am part of a project team that is being trained in Business Improvement Techniques and, where applicable, is implementing them to improve Thornton's production efficiency. After completing the course, I will gain a NVQ Level 2 qualification in Business Improvement Techniques.

Overall Experience So Far...
My experiences of Thornton's graduate scheme have certainly exceeded my initial expectations. The scheme provides a supportive, yet challenging, working environment with real responsibility early in my career. I believe it is the ideal environment to develop professionally and personally.

Becca Dilks

Current Role: Account Executive (Commercial Sales)

Previous Role: Production Scheduler

University Background: Graduated from University of Leeds in 2001 with a BA (Hons) in English Language & Literature (2:1)

Why Thorntons?
I chose Thorntons because they are a top class confectionary manufacturer with a well loved and respected brand image. In working for Thorntons I knew I would get the opportunity to gain core skills that would be easily transferable across other areas of the business.

My Role
I joined Thorntons just over two years ago as a Production Scheduler, looking after both the short and long term planning of all toffee, fudge, hard boiled sweets and moulded chocolate products. It was my responsibility to ensure that all of the packaging and production was fully coordinated in order to fully meet customer demand.

Having successfully secured a place on the Graduate Programme earlier this year, I have now moved onto a placement working as an Account Executive in the Commercial Sales team. Here I hold an extremely varied and exciting position, working partly in a field based role developing sales and business relationships within twenty regional Asda and Tesco stores, and partly as an Account Support Resource for one of the Senior Business Managers on a key multiple account. I also have the opportunity to learn about the key dynamics of business development within a commercial environment.

Training & Development
Since joining Thorntons I have received a large amount of both internal and external training, which has been invaluable to my personal and professional development.

Overall Experience So Far...
I have really enjoyed my time at Thorntons so far and am really looking forward to my next placement and all future opportunities for career and personal development.

Jia Ashton

Current Role: Packaging Buyer

University Background: Graduated from Warwick University in 2007 with a BSc (Hons) in Economics.

Why Thorntons?
Thorntons is a vertically integrated growing business running a FMCG model. Needless to say there are numerous dimensions within the business, countless development opportunities and many challenges.

My Role
I am responsible for sourcing rigid boxes, ribbon, gift wrap and labels. They mainly come from the Far East. I have been to China to visit Chinese factories and to attend international trade fairs.

Here's a snap shot of my main responsibilities:

• Manage current supplier base
• Develop relationship with new suppliers
• Monitor/manage current packaging orders
• Ensure delivery and quality
• Source new packaging
• Benchmark prices
• Negotiate contracts
• Influence packaging value-engineering projects

Basically, as a packaging buyer at Thorntons, the ultimate goal is to make sure the business gets the right packaging at the right time at the lowest price without jeopardizing quality and other social responsibilities.

Training & Development
You will get the fundamental training you need to do a buyer's job, e.g. negotiation and legal aspects of purchasing, and much on the job training from experienced buyers. However, to be an outstanding buyer, you need to learn the rest by doing.

Many graduate employers I have come cross promise to offer real responsibilities. At Thorntons, you must be able to take real responsibilities. I cannot put a limit on how far you can go at Thorntons. Thorntons can no doubt cater for my development ambitions and constantly lift me to a new level.

Overall Experience So Far...
No kidding here. Thorntons will let you know if you are good and will always stretch you to be better and push you to continually improve.