Assistant to the Head of Distributor Markets (ekaterra) (Freelance)

About ekaterra:

With an annual turnover of around €2bn, ekaterra is the world’s largest tea business, with world-class, purpose-driven brands such as Lipton, Pukka, Tazo, T2 and PG Tips. ‘eka’ is a word taken from the Sanskrit language which means unity and one purpose, while ‘terra’ represents the earth and nature. As ekaterra we are truly united in one purpose: growing a world of wellbeing through the regenerative power of plants. 

In July 2022, CVC Capital Partners Fund VIII took over the full ownership of the ekaterra business from its previous owner, Unilever. As a standalone entity with a dedicated single-category focus, ekaterra is even better positioned to lead the tea industry, delivering higher growth and value, and a greater impact on the wider world. With 11 production factories in four continents and tea growing estates in three countries, ekaterra is a profitable and growing business whose brands reach hundreds of millions of consumers. It has a presence in over 100 countries. 

Under the ownership of CVC, ekaterra has an exciting future ahead with opportunities for increased investments in our iconic brands, our people, and our capabilities.  Combining the strength and scale of our brands with a focus on speed and agility, ekaterra is brewing a corporate start-up mindset that’s opening-up new opportunities for its people to flourish every day. 

At ekaterra, we put consumer love at the heart of every decision. We celebrate diverse thinkers who take personal ownership to connect ideas and make impactful things happen; people who share our values around humanity and courage and give their commitment to nurturing the wellbeing of all. In return, we offer a working culture that gives our people freedom and flexibility, and where they can grow both personally and professionally to master their field. 

Be part of our amazing blend. Come and grow yourself and, in turn, help us to grow a world of wellbeing.. 

Your Role:

In this role you will provide a pro-active and high-level business support to the Head of Distributor Markets, ekaterra. This role requires an assistant who is a self-starter with attention to detail, who can interact regularly with a very international network both inside the business and externally. You must be capable of managing your own time flexibly and effectively, juggling day to day tasks as well as proactively spot opportunities to add value to the business. 

Your Key Tasks:

• Complicated diary management – arrange meetings on a daily basis, both virtual and in person and reschedule if needed
• Screening, redirecting and responding to e-mails as appropriate. This may include typing general email correspondence and reports.
• Organization of international and local travel, including preparations of itineraries, visa applications, together with the management of out-of-office requirements
• Organizing local and international meetings on site or offsite, including coordination of country visits and LT meetings. This may include visitor management, catering, etc.
• Preparation of PowerPoint presentations, Excel spreadsheets, (PowerBI) reports and materials for meetings
• Liaison with internal customers and external contacts – developing knowledge of key individuals, including PA Network
• Proactively tackling issues related to (administrative) processes to ensure speed and efficiency, improving them for the leader and Unilever as a whole
• Processing expenses and invoices using relevant systems
• Responding to queries and requests for information from ekaterra Leadership Team, Business Partners, Regions, Categories on an ad hoc basis based on priorities set together with the leader

KEY REQUIREMENTS

Due to the changing nature of jobs, we find it more important that you can identify yourself with below behaviors instead of listing factual requirements like education level or years of experience. Therefore, we set out the requirements for the job as Behaviors (Standards of Leadership) and Skills. 

Behaviors

• Purpose and Service: You know your purpose and actively use it to shape own role and tasks. We will help you there as well, but it’s important you want to contribute in day-to-day work.
• Personal Mastery: You take the lead in your own wellbeing. We value when you ask for and work on feedback, are able to say no in a cooperative way, and set a high standard for own work.
• Agility: With the changing circumstances, we think it’s critical you invest time in learning and are curious to new things. We’d want you to be flexible to what the situation asks of you (and obviously we accept a “no” as well!), and are keen for you to search for ways to make your own work and work of team better and more efficient
• Consumer Love: Your consumer would be the business you support, so no surprise we value your curiosity to learn more about the background of the needs of the team. That will allow you to be critical to us or find better ways to serve.
• Passion for High Performance: In our team, we value having an owner’s mindset, using data and insights to make decisions, and taking personal responsibility and accountability for execution and results. We’re one team, and want everyone to play their part!