Michelle Molas - Brand Manager at Procter & Gamble
What were your responsibilities?
P&G internships are quite structured. Interns were given 4-5 projects (what they call "rocks") to complete throughout our internship. During my summer internships, my rocks focused on:
- Leading the search strategy for Grooming brands
- Developing product innovation recommendations for FY22
- Leading the shopper marketing plan for two launches together with agency partners
- Designing and implementing an e-commerce acceleration plan
- Developing a digital engagement strategy for P&G Canada Women's Network
What was a typical day at work?
My day-to-day work depended on which project I'd be working on. There were days where I would be heavily crunching numbers, and there are other days where I would be in meetings all day, coordinating with stakeholders to get the job done. I would also try to squeeze in coffee chats here and there—P&Gers are a bunch of warm people eager to help and share their insights!
What was your favourite part of the internship?
The most exciting part for me is learning that my product innovation proposals were positively received and being evaluated already by the global team. It's extremely rewarding to know that a strategy I worked on for two months could potentially define our brand's innovation plan two years down the road.
What skills are important for this job?
The rocks I was given were specifically designed to "test" my capabilities in strategic thinking, problem solving, data analysis, leadership, communication, and execution.
What did you least expect going into the internship?
That I'll be able to build great relationships and widen my professional network in a 100% virtual environment.
Any advice for first year MBA Students?
While it's great to have very specific goals coming into an MBA program, I suggest keeping an open mind about opportunities that you might end up liking! I will admit that CPG was not among my priority industries coming into Rotman; however, my experience at P&G has been extremely positive. I couldn't imagine my summer going any other way!
What did you do before your MBA?
Right before Rotman, I was a Product Marketing Manager at Google. My most recent role entailed leading marketing for consumer products (e.g. Google Search, YouTube, "Next Billion Users" products) in the Philippine market.
What are your post MBA goals?
I will be joining P&G as a brand manager right after my MBA. Down the line, my goal is to use my tech and (soon) CPG background to be create/lead a B2C tech start-up focusing on education.