Head of Branding and Packaging Review

I am responsible for the running of the branding and packaging department at Lidl GB. This involves overseeing a team of 28 people and liaising with both internal and external stakeholders to ensure we deliver the best results. I oversee the budget and am responsible for driving the department forward, encouraging best practice and improved ways of working.

In leading a department, I have learnt a lot about my leadership skills and communication skills. I consider myself to be a strong presenter and have worked on honing this skills further. To effectively manage a department, I need to have strong organisational and time management skills, both of which I have developed in role. Being in a head of department role has also encouraged me to work on my personal branding skills and improve these.

The apprenticeship programme is providing me with immense enjoyment. It has allowed me to focus on the importance of continuous personal development and lead by example in this regard. I have developed new time management and organisation skills and have been working on incorporating mindfulness and reflective practice into my daily habits. The programme is allowing me to push myself out of my comfort zone and develop my leadership skills further, as well as transformational coaching skills, allowing me to further network both in and outside of the business and also give something back to others.

The programme is well structured, with a clear overview of dates and content for the entire duration. This is really helpful as it has allowed me to plan everything in and ensure I'm on top of my learning. I think that it would be really useful to have a bit more detail regarding the digital learning modules and what is covered in them, as sometimes there are topics which we are asked about which will be covered off in later exercises. This would also help to structure off-the-job learning and ensure that the right topics are focussed on at the right time.

My employer is very supportive. My line manager regularly checks in on my progress and other colleagues across my team and the business are very supportive. The Learning & Development team are on hand with questions and advice and I feel very supported by my team and my manager in all aspects of the apprenticeship.

The training provider has been incredibly supportive so far through the process. Colleagues have been on hand whenever I have had questions and my Learning Coach is very supportive, checking in and providing me with regular feedback to keep me on track. I feel that I can reach out if I need anything.

I can already see the benefit of having relooked at how I focus on CPD through doing this apprenticeship. I have always been someone who is focussed on my development, but this has allowed me to understand the benefits of doing so and the importance of planning in and following up. Mindfulness and reflective practice make me a better colleague, friend, manager and coach and I am looking forward to being able to give back to the business both in my role and through coaching as a result of this qualification.

There are a number of social activities that are available through the business - we have a number of unofficial sports clubs such as netball and football, we have also held table tennis tournaments. The business organises 3-4 social activities after work a year for the whole Head Office, and as a department we try to do 1-2 activities a year as team-building. I have had the opportunity to attend conferences relating to Diversity and Inclusion through work which allow me to build a professional network. I also attend a book club organised by colleagues at work.

Yes

Lidl is a fantastic organisation to work for - it's fast-paced and the work that we do has a direct impact on customers. I really enjoy doing something that I know makes a difference to colleagues and customers, even if this is subconsciously. The culture within the organisation is one where we are empowered to make decisions and given responsibility at a fairly early stage but there is room for growth and progression. Internal movement is something which the company puts great value on.

I would advise you to show a real passion for the company and the impact that you can make when applying, be open-minded and collaborative and finally, be driven for your own success - the company will support with this but gives you the room to drive and push for this yourself.