Colin Wragg
Head of Channel, Grocery
Watch the video below to see Colin talk about leading a team, getting to grips with the world of FMCG and being empowered to explore new opportunities by Imperial Tobacco's can-do culture.
Colin Wragg Video Profile - 1:40 mins
Colin Wragg - Video Transcript
My role at Imperial is Head of Grocery Channel. Essentially, the team that works for me, they cover all the head office interfaces and they do all the head office deals. And I also have a team that calls on all the stores to make sure those deals are in place. That's the role in a nutshell. So, I coordinate and lead that group of people. The role of mine as Head of Channel, you have to have a broad understanding of the tobacco market, as well as the FMCG market, so you get involved in credit, you get involved in HR issues, you get involved in sales issues, marketing issues. So it's a whole gamut of areas you're involved in.
Why would someone want to come to Imperial? All I know is that Imperial have looked after me in more ways than just remuneration. If you talk about Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, they look after me on a basic level, but also they encourage me through training and development to be better self. And, through better self, I operate better with Imperial and, fortunately, I'll maybe get promoted because of it. So, the package in total is good.
I think Imperial has its own culture, I think it is evolving over time, it's probably less formal in the last five years than it used to be. It's family type orientated but they do want people who are winners, they do want people who have a yes culture and a can do culture, and the engendering of a team philosophy is paramount within Imperial as well.
So, at the moment, as, I am Head of Channel, but there's, in the last few years, Imperial, as a company, has expanded. I think we operate in around 130 countries now, so my opportunities are still boundless. There's different markets I can work in and different roles within those markets that I can work in. So, it could be that, in two years time, I'm working in America as Head of Sales. It could be that I'm working in a marketing capacity in France or Spain. So there's definitely opportunities.