A taste of the future

I’m a Business Manager at Bidfood, and have worked here for 7 years. My role is field based, and I look after 120 customers, varying from pubs, golf clubs, care homes, restaurants, nurseries and hotels. A typical day for me involves visiting my various customers, either for appointments or just popping in to see how they are and dropping off information about our current promotions, visiting prospective customers or going through my admin work and reports.

 

The great thing about my role is that no day is ever the same! Whilst the most challenging thing about being a Business Manager is probably time management, my team are absolutely brilliant and are always there on the other end of the phone if I ever need advice or support.

 

We all help each other out and it’s great when we get together once a month for our Sales meetings! At Bidfood, you’re valued, respected, appreciated and everyone works together so well. The rewards are great, and it’s a fun place to be so I don’t wake up every day dreading going to work, I very much enjoy it.

Charlotte Donovan

I’m a Transport Team Manager at the Slough depot and have worked for Bidfood for just over 7 years.

 

I began my career journey as a Driver, but have held various different roles in the Transport department during my time here. I’ve had the opportunity to upskill myself, progressing to Senior Driver and then Supervisor, before taking on my current role.

 

My role is varied and multi-purpose – no two days are the same! As part of the management team, I support our Drivers out on the road, making sure issues are resolved as quickly as possible.

 

I also run a driving school within Bidfood, upskilling Category B Drivers to Category C, to help others progress their career further too.

 

The best thing about working at Bidfood is the people, and knowing that what you’re doing is making a big impact on people’s lives.

 

The team I work with support each other, and are always willing to help if someone is struggling. We all enjoy a good laugh while working hard towards the same goal.

 

 

 

Ryan Hunt

I am the Digital Manager at Bidfood, and my role involves implementing the marketing strategy for our ecommerce platform, Bidfood Direct. My team are incredibly supportive. We all have different strengths and skillsets, and are encouraged to collaborate and lean on each other for expertise and knowledge sharing. I starting working at Bidfood at the end of 2022, and before this, I’d always worked in the technology industry, so my move here was very much welcomed – who doesn’t love food?! My first 6 months working here included some incredible career milestones. One of which was our win of the B2B Website of the Year Award at the UK Digital Growth Awards - a fantastic career highlight for any Digital Manager. My advice to someone thinking about applying for a job at Bidfood would be to do it! The people are great, everyone is so passionate and there’s a real sense of pride which is carried across the business. There’s also so much opportunity for growth, which I think is why so many employees have stayed for years and years!

 

 

 

Susannah Grieve

I have been at Bidfood for around 20 years, and started my journey here as a Junior Buyer. I was later promoted to Buyer, then Senior Buyer, before moving over to Corporate Procurement, which is the department I head up now. With the right attitude, determination and hard work, you can really build your career here.

 

In my current role, I manage a team of 13 people, and together we support Bidfood with winning and retaining business. A typical day for me can include presenting to prospective customers, conducting commercial analysis of customer baskets, taking supplier meetings, reviewing ways to mitigate cost increases for customers, supporting our Sales teams working on wider projects, or supporting our existing customers.

 

My team make a difference by adding value to our customers through the sector specific procurement expertise we offer. What we do is unique within foodservice and puts the customer at the heart. 

 

The best thing about working at Bidfood is the people, the empowerment we get and the forward-thinking approach we take. We’re a fantastic group of people and a diverse team with a great can-do attitude.

Naz Haq

I’ve worked for Bidfood for 22 years and my current role is Operational Process Improvement Analyst. As part of the People Centred Change team, I’m responsible for updating and creating operational processes, and working alongside project teams to make sure that any change, big or small, is successfully implemented in the business.

 

I started working here as a LGV Multi Drop Driver, but after 3 years, I was recognised for my passion for customer service, and took on a new role as Business Manager in the Field Sales team. I also successfully completed my CMI Level 3 qualification in the Principles of Leadership and Management before moving into my current role.

 

I’ve been consistently pushed outside of my comfort zone and am now doing things I never thought I’d be capable of, such as building an internal web page for the Wholesale businesses, and now running my first business-wide project!

 

The best thing about working for Bidfood is the people – my team in particular are brilliantly supportive and approachable, with a real drive to put our people at the forefront of change.

 

At Bidfood, there are plenty of opportunities available to enhance your career, and my advice to someone thinking about applying for a role here is to go for it! Whilst working here is challenging at times due to our size, we’re a real forward-thinking business and recognise and reward hard work.

 

Carl Morgan

I’m the Social Media Manager at Bidfood, and have worked here for a year and a half. I manage all of our social channels, create and implement the social media strategy, advise campaign managers on social media content and create and manage paid social media advertisements – basically, I help shout about all of the great things we do at Bidfood!

 

As the digital world has soared since the pandemic, social media is now more important than ever and higher up on everyone’s agenda, which can result in my workload being a challenge to juggle at times, but I’d rather be busy than bored.

 

The support for both my career progression and my wellbeing is second to none at Bidfood. My team are fantastic and my manager is in full support of continuous learning. We’re encouraged to take up training in our area and have personal development planning meetings to make sure we’re focusing on what we want to achieve in our career journey.

 

I took a leap applying for Bidfood and moved a couple of hours away from home to work here, but I can honestly say I’m so glad I did. I’m encouraged to make my role my own and take risks, and having the autonomy that I have has really helped me grow more confidence in myself and my expertise.

 

My advice to someone thinking about applying for a job here would be to do it! The work is fun and the people are fantastic. You’re encouraged to try new things and develop, plus there’s plenty of delicious food you can try, what’s better than that?!

 

Charlotte Phelps

I’ve been with Bidfood for around 10 months. I started as a HGV Driver, and am now a Business Manager in the Sales team. My role involves looking after our customers, making sure they’re happy in what they’re purchasing, helping to solve any queries they have and supporting them in using our ordering software.

 

As a HGV Driver, I was able to learn a lot about Bidfood, and now, working internally in the Sales team, I could not feel happier with the opportunity I have to gain more knowledge and hone my customer service and IT skills. Working for Bidfood has been the best thing to happen to my family and I, and I feel secure and stable working here. The management team are always more than happy to help with anything, the team is friendly and the benefits package is vast – from employee discounts to mental health support.

 

I would highly recommend Bidfood as a great place to work. Our team is very diverse when it comes to background, gender, age etc, and I couldn’t have asked for a better team to work with – they’re a fantastic group of people.

Kia Bilkus-McPherson