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"It is great to experience all aspects of running a good business in a multicultural environment!"

Martin
Senior territory business manager
Western Europe
Valvoline International

Day in the Life

The best part of my job is its diversity. It can never be a boring day, because each brings new situations and challenges.

The primary responsibility of a territory business manager for Valvoline Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) is to grow sales in an assigned area in various sales channels. The customer groups vary from car importers, mass retailers, WDs, garages, industrial customers and many more. I manage distributors, secure business plans, obtain, maintain and grow the business, implement products, marketing programs and services and of course coach people.

Each country is unique in itself and must be dealt with that way. Valvoline has different positions and different types of distributors. It's always a challenge to get the distributors, our market share and image at a higher level related to the market environment. In our day-to-day working environment, the competition is tough. The highest level of effort is expected from us in all aspects of the business - and that's what I try to deliver each day.

Working with distributors, customers and leads takes time, plus travel is an important part of my job. At least 50 percent of time involves traveling, visiting customers from different business channels. As a result, a typical work week for me covers from 50 to 60 hours and can extend late into the night to include business dinners.

On a given day, I also work with various company departments, such as customer service, marketing, legal, sales and logistics.

I joined the company seven years ago as an intern at Valvoline's EMEA branch office in Zagreb, Croatia after I worked in several international marketing positions. Before taking care of Western Europe, I was responsible for several Eastern European countries. I had such a great time working with the Croatian team that I will never forget it. That's what interested me in pursuing a career with Ashland to begin with. I also liked the international aspect - having a chance to "taste" the different cultures and business environments.

All this remains important to me, yet a potential candidate for this position should also know that Valvoline is a good place to work. The job incorporates a lot of teamwork and personal growth opportunities.

Some skills are essential to this job. A successful territory business manager must have good communication, social, problem-solving and time-management skills. He or she should also be creative and driven by results. A "helicopter view," related to understanding of overall day-to-day practices, is helpful, too!