Katharina´s story: A happy journey

Meet Our People

Learning and growing are part of daily life at Coca-Cola HBC, where huge emphasis is placed on professional training and development.

One of the most immersive development opportunities is the Management Trainee Programme RISE, where talented young graduates can gain exposure to a variety of departments and build the skills we need to succeed long-term in a fast-paced organisation like CCHBC.

I joined Coca-Cola HBC through a slightly unusual route. While out shopping one day I was surprised to find a bottling plant so close to Zurich. I didn’t know much about the company other than the Coca-Cola brand, so I did some investigating online and got excited about the potential of the Management Trainee Programme.


Katharina_Gutow

It was to prove a fortunate moment that kick-started my career at one of the world’s largest bottlers of Coca-Cola.

Katharina Gutow Shift Supervisor and former Management Trainee (Supply Chain), Switzerland

I began the programme in the Supply Chain business unit a little over two years ago, and thanks to that experience I was able to learn about almost all aspects of the business. From procurement to logistics, I came to understand what makes Coca-Cola HBC a global leader, producing over 2 million bottled beverages every day.

It was during this time that I discovered the Production department, which perfectly combined my passion for business with my education in industrial engineering. After just 15 months at CCHBC, I seized the opportunity to move into Production as a shift supervisor and I now manage a team of 20 colleagues.


While it is relatively unusual for someone so young to occupy this type of position, Coca-Cola HBC nevertheless gave me the chance to prove myself.


CCHBC places a high priority on hands-on management that is supportive and nurtures young talent. My time as a trainee had a major impact on my career. The plant manager and his team gave me great projects, and they made sure that I enjoyed myself as well. It is such a nice feeling when someone has confidence in you. They believed I could do the job as shift supervisor, and they gave me the chance to lead. I am very thankful for that.

What I find most interesting is the combination of an office job and being in production, where it all begins. In my role, I get to work hands-on with the products at the very source of what drives the entire business, and I really like being able to work with both people and machines.

As an engineer, the machinery, processes, and packaging are all exciting and challenging, but it is the diverse people and collaborative environment that I love most about my job.


For me, it’s my team that stands out. Coca-Cola HBC is like a big family and there’s real happiness in being part of that.


I enjoy going to work every day and I am proud of being part of this big company.

In the beverage industry, there are always new challenges and ways to improve. My business unit produces 80% of Switzerland’s Coca-Cola beverages, which is a massive challenge of scale and efficiency, requiring continuous maintenance, streamlining of production line processes and fast change-overs for different products or packaging types. None of that would be possible without incredible teamwork. It is amazing that we as a team can keep up a high line-efficiency even though we have so many change overs, from six packs to four packs to bigger bottle sizes. We exchange our knowledge and experience with other teams, even across borders. We learn from each other and that's something we all share at Hellenic!

At Coca-Cola HBC, there is genuine appreciation for your colleagues and the people that help you succeed and deliver great products. I love that we all work together as a team to produce this great product and I like the whole idea of bringing happiness to the consumer. What bonds me to the company the most is the people and the product itself. I really stand behind it. We are so proud of what we’re able to produce.