Move of the Month: 9/13

If we’re going to be honest about it, most of us have always wanted to work in a chocolate factory. There seems to be something elementally right, some sublime combination of work and love, about trotting off to work every day to savour the sweet smell of choccy and rummage around in the seconds bins.

Well done, then, Erica Coletta, who has just been appointed as Head of HR International for Godiva. Coletta joins the firm from Unilever, where she worked as Vice President HR – Refreshment Category. (We assume that means she worked in the Refreshment category of Unilever, rather than that of their HR department, but at some of these big FMCG companies anything’s possible.)

Anyway, Godiva is currently something of a success in the confectionery field. Owned by the Turkish firm Yildiz Holdings (who bought it from Campbell’s Soups for $850 million) the management has seen growth in double-digits every year since the acquisition in 2008. 2013 revenues are expected to top $765 million, according to trade site Confectionery News.

Coletta will have her work cut out in terms of her international remit, it seems, with Godiva identifying China, the Middle East and Africa as key to future growth.

Also, US Godiva retail stores have been cut in number recently, presumably increasing the HR workload. This was apparently to ‘increase profitability per store’, which seems to have worked, with retail sales there buoyed by 37%.

So, best of luck, Erica. We also hope that you have to wear a purple suit and travel around your global hubs by Great Glass Elevator, but we shan’t be holding our breath for the photographs.

About the author

Andrew Baird

Andrew is the CEO of HRville. He is also Employer Brand Director of Blackbridge Communications, Editorial Director of Professionals in Law and an associate of The Smarty Train. Previously, he was the MD of TCS Advertising.