Marina Kim

RAIMBEK PEOPLE

Series of interviews with employees of the Raimbek Company dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the company.

Young people dream to work in the company, employees are happy

Brand Director  is a very responsible position in the company. This is the person responsible for all products manufactured under the brand name of the Raimbek Company: whether it is milk, juice, drinks or yogurt. Today, portfolio of the Raimbek consists of seven brands, several new ones are on the way. Marina Kim, brand director, is a mastermind behind these brands.

- Marina, how did you join the company?

- I joined the Raimbek team in 2003. Not right away, I was thinking about it for a year. I remember, in 2002 I had a meeting with Sergei Polukhin. He then held the position of Commercial Director. And I rejected the offer. At that time I already had an experience of working in different companies, both local and international. I resolutely refused, because I thought that working in a local company - is not comme il faut at all.

I remember Sergei said to me, very seriously: “It’s because you haven’t worked in a proper local company. I'll be waiting for you as long as you want”.

A year later I came to Raimbek. And I still work here!

- Which position did they initially offer you?

- I started as a regular specialist. When we got an interesting contract from Bacardi-Martini, I became a brand manager and was developing a distribution brands portfolio for over 10 years. That was the beginning of the most interesting part of my professional carrier in marketing.

We got many great contracts then. Famous Chilean winery Concha Y Tore had entered out market. We got a portfolio of Brawn Forman:  Jack Daniel's whisky, Vodka Finlandia, Tequila Herradura, and other brands.

At the moment I occupy the position of Brand Director. I’m working with our own brands, “Ainalaiyn,” “Miloko”, Juicy, Junior, Palma. This, no doubt, is completely different. And the responsibility is of another level too.

- What were you concerned about when you said that working in a local company is not “comme il faut”?

- Now I do not see any difference (laughs), but back then, yes, I thought that if in an international company everything is structured, everything is spelled out, all processes are clear, then in a small local family company the rules would be completely different.

Part of that was true. It was much faster, we were more mobile. In FMCG companies the faster you react to market demands, the better chances you have to stay on top. But it wasn’t all smooth. There were moments when I could not understand what exactly am I responsible for; seemed like for this, and that, and that too! (Laughs)

But over the years since I’m working here the company has changed a lot. We went through the process of transformation of a small family company into the holding company, in which everything is neatly structured, which has its own processes, adopts European management approaches. The vision of the company is clear to every employee, every division has clear objectives.

- What, in your opinion, is the Raimbek’s secret of success?

- The secret of our success is an adapted management. It's a synergy of our own experience which has been accumulated over time, and experience of European companies and foreign management, adapted to local conditions. But, of course, our success is the result of our unique vision.

- What do you consider to be your personal achievement in the Raimbek Company?

- I believe that in such a large holding company any separate personal achievements would not be possible without the team behind it. Generally, behind every successful case in a company there’s not just one single individual, but work and contribution of every employee. In this regard I consider myself lucky – there were colleagues-professionals around me at all times.

- What was the most difficult time for you since you joined the company?

- That’s a difficult question ... You know, the most difficult thing for me was to go through the transition to the "process approach" in the company. It was that classic case described in books. When there is a company with, in fact, family style management. The staff has not changed for 10 years, it has been very stable. When this process approach was under implementation it was breaking internal norms and principles, we just needed to get over it. Usually, at this moment, as it is described in the literature, 70% of employees can’t bear these changes and leave companies.

It is considered to be organic growth and organic screenings. Those 3 years of transition, when we moved to the process management approach, that time was quite challenging. The period of adaptation... no doubt, when you have fifty people it is easy to operate, but when the number of employees exceeds one thousand, then, it’s vital to have this process approach.

I wouldn’t say that all is easy and simple now, but nevertheless we’ve gone through the hardest period. The company is now standing very firmly on the rails, we're moving forward.

- What gives you the biggest joy in your work?

- The most joyful for the marketing professional is signing new contracts. Today Raimbek has such a reputation that the most famous world brands want to collaborate with us. We are №1. We get a lot of offers every day: are you interested in distributing our products? This is a sign that the company stands firmly on its feet. Of course, as a brand director I am very pleased that our own brands are leaders of the market.

- How do you envision the company in 25 years?

- Definitely prosperous! Young people dream to work here, and employees are happy.

In general, in labor market Raimbek is considered to be the company worth working in, especially for those starting a career. In other words, if you worked at the Raimbek company, then you have prospects to work in other places. It's true – there are many people that came out of my team, who are successfully growing further in other companies.

- You nurture employees, and they leave. Do you regret parting with them?

- It is a pity, of course! And is quite painful. But at the same time we are happy for them, people should develop, they should move forward!