Women in Business, Anu Deva | The FMCG industry is highly inspiring and innovative, living up to its name. It impacts every individual in the country and touches every household daily, offering many opportunities, ranging from supply chain and merchandise to operations, category, and marketing.
Anu Deva started her career in the FMCG industry as a Category Assistant at Countdown. The job description sounded challenging, with five different systems to work on. Deva jumped at the opportunity and found the systems easy to use as someone who loves a good challenge.
“I was soon promoted to Category Manager, and 21 years later, I am still in the industry. I spent almost 16 years at Countdown and enjoyed the flexibility of various roles within the organisation, akin to starting a new job,” said Deva.
Over the years, Deva has worked with exceptional mentors and leaders who have guided and helped her develop her working style and skills.
“I have learned to pick up good qualities from my leaders, which has been instrumental in shaping my approach to work. I have found that accommodating my working style to suit theirs has been beneficial.”
Deva said that the keys to success for those leading a team were compassion, empathy, active listening, confidence in the team, and empowerment. She strongly advocates for being both a mentor and a mentee at all stages of one's career.
FMCG is a 24/7 industry, and work never ends. The pandemic brought a new perspective to Deva and looking back, she wishes she had slowed down the pace and created a better work-life balance.
“It is essential to enjoy life, take care of one's health, spend time with family and friends, and appreciate the little things in life.”
After managing multiple categories in health and beauty, baby, paper products, freezer, chilled, bakery, and more, Deva needed to explore new challenges and opportunities, so she moved to the supplier side.
“The transition was challenging, and I had to learn to manage personal relationships with friends who became customers while not compromising business expectations.”
Since then, Deva has worked with renowned companies like Kimberly Clark, Sanitarium, and 3M. She is currently working with Wilmar NZ, known as Goodman Fielder, where she is the National Account Manager.
Deva has had several accomplishments throughout her career. Notable mentions include the launch of bread at $1, baby events in stores, identifying business opportunities by launching a few exclusive brands for Countdown and identifying cost-saving areas.
She also successfully streamlined processes to deliver better results and improved collaboration with internal and external stakeholders.
Her biggest motivation stems from the knowledge that her hard work, perseverance, and dedication will lead to tremendous professional success and drive successful business outcomes.
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