Name: Freddie Billington
Job title: Commercial Executive
How long have you been with Billington Group?:
Three years – two on the Group’s Graduate Scheme and one year in my role as a Commercial Executive at English Provender Company.
Describe a typical day in your role:
Typically:
- Communicating our daily sales performances out to the wider team. This keeps us aware of how we’re performing against the budgets and forecasts we put in place.
- Obtaining forecasts from customers to show how much volume they’ll be expecting from us over the coming weeks and months. I then translate this information across onto our systems. This forecast provides the business with a (hopefully) accurate reflection of what is going to happen, allowing the business to plan accordingly.
- Managing products that are either delisting or launching into our customers. Making these transitions smooth is vital as it avoids waste that comes about from overproducing, whilst ensuring we have everything we need in place and are ready for the new launches.
What’s the best part of your job?:
The best part of my job is that I get a lot of exposure to other departments across the company. This ranges from seeing the products get created by the Product Development Team, all the way through to the final product being made in the factory. The wide scope of my job means that there is always more to learn and it definitely helps to keep the job interesting!
What makes the food sector exciting to work in?
I find food production an exciting sector to be in as you can very clearly see the outcomes of the work you have been involved with. I enjoy going out to supermarkets and restaurants and seeing the products that we make. It does mean now that I can’t walk through the supermarket aisles without ensuring that the presentation of our products is up to standard!
What do you think the next big thing for food will be?
I think that gut health focused foods will continue to expand further across the market.
Can you describe Billington Group in three words?
Innovative. Ambitious. Diverse.
Now a bit more about you….
Coffee or tea?
Coffee.
Best sandwich filling?
Coronation Chicken.
Favourite meal?
Fish and chips with mushy peas.
Favourite weird food combinations?
Mince on toast – one my dad introduced me to.