We are all leaders here - Agustin Martinez Bleda from Procter & Gamble

Moving here was never part of his plans, but Agustin Martinez Bleda took a leap of faith and started his career with Procter & Gamble Poland. He now tells us about his new job responsibilities at the Planning Service Center in Warsaw, the company culture and core values that make his work all the more worthwhile.

Hello Agustin, I am happy that you have found some time for me. So, you've been working for Procter & Gamble for about 1 year now. Am I correct?

Hello! It has been 1 year and 5 months I think.

How did you end up here in Poland?

I am from Spain, Valencia precisely. After my studies I applied to work for P&G in a small production plant that we have in Jijona (Alicante), which is in the south of Valencia, and I started there as an intern. In the production plant we produce diapers, DODOT mainly, which is the Spanish brand for Pampers. I spent 7 months there as an intern. Then my manager suggested I stay in the company but there were no vacancies in the plant, so he proposed a different place. My manager found out that there were some available positions here in Warsaw as a planning manager and I applied and, voilà, here I am.

And what did you think about Poland then, before coming here?

I remember the situation exactly. I was with my previous manager and the HR specialists and they told me “Agustin, we have something for you. It would be super interesting, challenging, we think that you would fit there very well”. And I thought “wow, this is exciting!” And then they added “– but it has to be in Warsaw”. Boom… I was expecting different countries: France, the UK, Germany. But when they said Warsaw it started snowing in my head, I was feeling the cold already! And my girlfriend, she loves warm countries, you know she is Spanish [laughs]. We had a tough conversation, but eventually we said “why not?”

So when you moved here what was the most surprising thing in the very beginning?

My first reaction was “wow this is actually like Spain!” Because I came here during summer, it was 30 degrees Celsius and super-hot. At the same time, it was raining a lot in Spain, so I thought “it is even better”. But then the winter came. I remember working on the first day of snow, and I was so amazed, because it was my first time seeing snow in the city. Normally for me, snow is in the mountains. And it was very funny because I was surrounded by Polish people telling me “Agustin, this happens every year…”. But I had a bad experience with the cold as well. We went ice-skating during a team event and it was minus 12 degrees Celsius . I was not even wearing gloves… I had never felt that cold before. But I like to experience different things and I am happy here.

And how do you feel in Poland right now? In Warsaw?

Warsaw is an amazing city, I love it! There are a lot of things to do, a lot of places to go. If you want to go to a party, you can find different locations to fit your preferences, if you prefer museums – you will find so many of them. And there is an amazing variety of restaurants, even Spanish ones – I’ve tried some, not bad! I am really happy here. For me, Warsaw is a big discovery. I was expecting something sadder, grey, cold and quiet, but actually I think Warsaw is more like a trending city for Erasmus students. A lot of people come here for vacation or work, and I like it, it is very international.

Now, please tell me something about the company. What did you know about Procter & Gamble before your internship?

Before I started working for P&G I knew all the brands but I didn't know the company, its values or culture. I remember the first time I heard about P&G was during the Olympic Games, because P&G is the main sponsor. I didn’t know that all the brands we manage were under the same company and I discovered it on my first day at work. Before I went to my first interview at P&G I started researching the company on the internet That’s how I knew about PVPs [Purpose, Values, Principles] and I thought “wow, this is a really cool company!” When researching P&G on the internet, I ended up watching all the TV commercials. One of my favorites is the Always commercial.

Which one?

“Like a girl”. This one is amazing. I think it was one of the first commercials of this kind – with a message. Now it is said that feminism is kind of trendy. Many companies support the movement in their commercials but some years ago it was not like that. And P&G was not following a movement or a trend, they were doing it even before establishing the company’s values. I went to the first interview thinking that it would be a good place to build my career. During the internship I had great managers, great leaders, but the biggest surprise was when I came here – to the PSC [Planning Service Center] in Warsaw. Previously, I worked mainly with Spanish people. But here we have people from Spain, Italy, Poland, Ukraine, Germany. It is so international. I was truly surprised by the environment here in the office.

So all these assumptions that you had before joining have been confirmed?

I think it went even above expectations. I have discovered much more about the company. In my humble opinion, you spend probably half of your life working, so being in a place like this feels like you're part of a family. You feel the ownership and that what you are doing is truly yours. When I’m here at work, sometimes I feel like I'm at home. And not because I live in front of the office, because in fact I do [laughs].

So far I’ve been working in three different teams, and I can say openly that all these people are friends of mine. Also, I appreciate the support that we receive from the leadership team. They organize events which help us become a better team and have better relationships with each other.

Could you please tell me something more about your position? What are your responsibilities?

When I started working in the PSC, I was a demand planning manager for the Lenor brand. In this role, I was forecasting product requirements for the Central European markets, meaning Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia, Croatia, Czech Republic. I cooperated with the Central Europe office in Budapest and, even though it was an entry level position, I had already a lot of responsibility. I have learnt how the supply chain works, and as it turns out it is more complex than I imagined.

After a year I took up the position of DRP - Distribution Requirements Planner – a leader of one of the Fabric Care production plants in Europe, Rakona, which is located in Czech Republic. In this role I lead a team of DRPs, and it is our responsibility to ensure that the product is available whenever the customer needs it, meaning that we plan the production and distribution of brands such as Ariel, Dash or Tide across Europe.

Why do you like your job?

First, I like it because I have a chance to be in touch with many people during my daily cycles, so I talk with a lot of people every day.

In or outside of the office?

Both – I’m in touch with people from the countries I work with, and I have my team and all our mates at the office.

And what is your biggest challenge at work?

It’s a good question, I have a lot of challenges. I probably shouldn’t talk about them all [laughs].

The main challenge is that the company sets really high standards and in order to reach them it is necessary to collaborate with many people. I keep in touch continuously with a lot of people to have everything under control, because your work doesn’t depend only on you. At the end of the day I have to control the customer requirements, the production, the transport, the inventory and many other details, and it is not easy if you are not good at working with big teams.

How do you deal with that? Do you receive any support?

Of course. One of the best things at Procter & Gamble is that you have very good leaders and managers. So far, all the managers that I’ve had have been amazing, super supportive and helpful every day. I I have always been able to approach them with any doubts or concerns.

Can you tell me something more about the opportunities for growth provided bythe company?

The best thing about this company is that we promote employees from within the company, meaning that if there is a position available, nobody will come from some other company and take it away from you. If there is a possibility to be promoted, if you have the experience and you are ready to take the challenge – then it is yours. It means that if you put enough effort and do your best every day, at some point you will receive recognition and be promoted. Here at P&G you can reach the level of CEO if you have the potential. Our current CEO started from a B1 role –at the bottom of the management path, which is cool.

And my last question – in your opinion, what kind of people or talents are wanted in P&G?

I think it is even written on the P&G website that we don’t hire positions – we hire people. I would say the main requirement is to be an open person, willing to help, to be able to give and receive and work in a team. Also leadership. Here, at P&G, you have to be a leader of what you are doing, it is a requirement – always. On every level – we are all leaders here. Moreover, it is important to feel the ownership, you need to treat the business as your own. To trust and to be trusted. I guess I’m already referring to the PVP values [laughs]. And of course, a passion for winning is super important. I like the fact that I am surrounded by really good people and the company’s values reflect that – the commercials, the way we sell our products, all the actions that we have performed over the years across different countries – like helping people, giving opportunities to minorities. I think it is amazing, and says a lot about the kind of people we look for.

Agustin, that was a beautiful, final answer! Thank you so much for your time and honesty. I really appreciate it.