Magazine: Hungarian FMCG experts abroad (Part 2)

Péter Kerekes’ career started at Unilever back in the golden age of marketing, in the middle of the 1990s. Later he moved on to Reckitt Benckiser and then to Dreher, a company owned by SABMiller. After working six years as marketing director SABMiller offered him the trade and marketing director position of its Spain affiliate, so he and his family moved to Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

He was motivated to try himself abroad because he wanted to learn: a new corporate structure, new competitors and a new market situation were waiting for him in Spain. It is needless to say that it was a great opportunity for his family too, learning a new language and immersing in another culture. Mr Kerekes loves the country and the people, but as regards work, he feels the effects of recession on locals. In his view Hungarian managers are more determined and hard-working than their Spanish colleagues. About his plans for the future he told that the family is likely to move on to another country in a couple of years’ time. He would like to spend 5-10 more years abroad before returning to Hungary. His message to colleagues back home is that the level of stress and the workload is the same as in Hungary, but new experiences inspire and help to lead a diverse and interesting life. The fist year was difficult but if someone is ready to try new things, they should definitely give a go to working abroad. Nielsen’s Eszter Boczán shared her London experiences with our magazine. She started to work for Nielsen because of her curious nature: she likes discussions, finding out what people think about brands or retail chains. After working in the company’s ranks as qualitative researcher for while she joined Nielsen’s NeuroFocus team, the headquarters of which is located in London. At the moment she is responsible for the team’s client services in Europe. About Nielsen NeuroFocus she told that they use the method of electroencephalography (EEG) to analyse subconscious answers given to questions in test material. She likes living in London and she doesn’t even complain about the weather. E-commerce is flourishing there and there are many convenience stores, while there are fewer discounters than in Hungary. Her perception of the British is that they are very determined and persistent. They don’t lose their faith if things don’t work out, instead they keep looking for the solution until they find the right tool or method. Don’t complain, do it! is their philosophy. Ms Boczán’s view is that Hungarian expertise, experience and skills are valued in Britain too, together with characteristics such as dedication, helpfulness and being nice. She thinks that if someone goes to work abroad they have to be open to new experiences, because this attitude will also help their being accepted. If one believes in their own success, they can build a career even in London