Updating Results

Dulux Group

4.3
  • 1,000 - 50,000 employees

Tori Clutton

As my alarm goes off and I begin getting ready for the day ahead, I start to think of all the tasks I plan to get done.

I did a good job of ‘switching off’ last night, assuring myself that I’d action anything urgent first thing and instead be able to enjoy some quality time with my housemates (with a side of red wine and trashy TV)!

7.30 AM

I must admit I’m a morning person, my output is of a higher quality in the first half of the day so I arrive at the office at 7.30 am, coffee in hand, and ready to tackle the day.

First things first, I sort through my emails, prioritising tasks, and being sure to check my calendar for daily meetings or deadlines. This is a habit I’ve worked hard to create since moving across from Sales to Marketing as it helps me to feel in control of my time and ensure I am always where I need to be with hitting project milestones and so on.

Speaking of, my phone rings for what will be the first of many calls for the day and it’s a peer from my old team. I pre-empt he is calling to see how my new role is going but alas, he wants an update on his in-store point of sale order. We are a close team, which I love about Cabot’s business so I am more than happy to jump on the phone and get the information he needs.

This then prompts me to action a mail out to the broader sales team… two birds one stone!

As the rest of my team arrive at the office, we jump into some back and forth conversation about fun project names for a new product I am working on, we narrow it down to three so I pop into our Channel Business Managers office to let her choose the winner.

Now it’s time to knuckle down and make some headway with the organisation of our biggest customer event, the Bunnings Expo. I’ve got several suppliers who have pitched to build our stand and their concepts are incredibly creative. I analyse the concepts in relation to our brands, the brief and the nature of the event then collate some notes and organise a project team meeting to discuss further and bring our key stakeholders on the journey. It’s important I keep referring to my timeline to ensure I am on track with lead times. 

10.30 AM

The clock hits 10.30 am and it’s time for a project team meeting with our Research and Development team and my colleagues from the Timber Studio. We are trialling some new products so I change into an older t-shirt and some safety boots and pop on over to our lab.

12.00 PM

Before I know it, lunchtime hits and my team gathers around our common table to do today’s quiz and switch off for a bit. I spend my entire lunchtime laughing at the banter and trying to have some input into the quiz, it’s no surprise I’m the go-to for any reality tv related questions… I’m not sure if this is a good thing (it’s not).

Meeting number two for the day involves training for some internal systems which are vital towards my role. The perfect time for a second coffee, I duck downstairs to the cafe before the meeting starts so I am ready to roll.

Table and sofa

I have an hour before meeting number three for the day, the perfect time to log on and complete an audit of our Woodcare marketing collateral, ordering any low stock items so the sales team are fully equipped to sell to, and merchandise their stores.

We have hundreds of items, so I only get through about a quarter before it’s time to head down to level one and meet with our procurement team.

My meeting goes well, our fantastic procurement team updates me on the packaging for my new product and I’m very content with the progress we are making. While I’m down on level one, I pop over to my friend from the Graduate Programs desk to say hello and see what she’s working on. Sometimes these types of chats can inspire an idea or action for my team, today it was just nice to touch base!

I’m feeling eager so I take the stairs back up to level three. As I reach my level, I’m fully out of breath but just catch our Trade, Industrial and Global Business Manager walking out the door. We have a quick chat and I update her on some work I am doing for our trade business before heading back to my desk. I book a meeting time with her for next week so that we can elaborate on our ‘elevator chat’ without time pressure.

Plants at the center of the table

Finally, I am back at my desk and able to action some email items and return a couple of phone calls to our Sales Team before finishing up for the day and heading to the gym. As I drive out of the office I reflect on my day and the number of people I collaborated with, in addition to the variety of projects I am currently working on. It sounds cliché, but no two days are the same in this role!