Heineken is one of the largest brewing companies in the world, and a frontrunner for breaking stereotypes and implementing innovative communication strategies. I was the change and communications intern in the Global Planning team at Heineken’s Amsterdam head office. This internship allowed me to gain an insight into how a huge multinational company operates, understand the value of internal communication, and get to work with amazing colleagues.
On my first day, my manager told me that I should take around a month to get familiar with the organizational structure and team dynamics. I genuinely thought she was exaggerating and told myself that after a couple of days I will have figured everything out. Well, I can safely say that after five months I still have not figured everything out. The complexity of the organization was a challenge, especially with all the different projects I was supporting and thousand different abbreviations used during meetings. However, I realized that nobody expected me to know everything and that asking questions was extremely important (and normal). In fact, my colleagues loved answering my questions because they could share their insights into their projects and roles in the company.
Additionally, I was mostly responsible for keeping the internal communication streams alive within the general supply chain, across different operating companies, and within the Global Planning team. This included creating communication content for international operating companies (called OpCos). I worked with colleagues from Indonesia, Austria, Brazil, and Russia to discuss important milestones that were important to communicate to the broader organization. Throughout my internship, I was lucky enough to create a range of content such as infographics, videos, presentations, and webcasts. Without creating the pieces of communication, nobody within Heineken would know what is going on in other teams and operating companies. Therefore, I realized the importance of creating these messages and keeping the communication channels active.
Furthermore, I must give a lot of credit for my amazing experience at Heineken to my manager and all my colleagues. Everyone was extremely welcoming and made me feel like a true member of the team, not “just” an intern. It was great working together with my manager because she did not only treat me as her equal but also gave me valuable feedback in the field of communication. The most rewarding experience during my internship was when I organized a webcast that was live-streamed from a TV studio in Utrecht. I was responsible for creating all the visual content, ranging from logos to background screens. When I walked into the studio, I was stunned to see that all the content I created was actually being implemented. Therefore, I am immensely grateful for having had such an encouraging manager who helped me grow as a young professional.
The truth is that I could have never asked for a better internship, especially during a global pandemic. I will officially hand in my laptop in a couple of days, which will probably cause some separation anxiety as I have learned to love the team, projects, and passion that drive Heineken. Cheers!