In my current role I am facing this every day because Vet Health Business is relatively new for Mars and the integration is still in process. On top of that, business is growing rapidly and every month we have a couple of newly acquired clinics. I think, at the moment, Vet Health is the best place you can only imagine to get this experience in Mars.

This is really complicated and challenging, but exciting journey! You always need to remember that almost everything that should be done is a big change for new Associates, because prior to acquisition they did a lot of things differently. You can’t do everything at the same time, plan or roadmap is very important as well. And for me the important part was to build business acumen and to understand how this business creates value.

Managing vision and mindset of Associates. In Vet Health the key part of the business are clinics and now when they become a part of huge international business they need to start doing things which they have not done before.  For example, a lot of internal controls, which are critical for large company, but might be less important for small business.  And main challenge is to explain why and motivate them to start.

I am much more open to new or different things now. I have started to ask a lot of questions to understand how business works and why the processes are organized such a way.  And now I appreciate good collaborative relationships even more because in such a complicated environment you can achieve success only together.

I gained this experience within Mars Wrigley integration – the process of moving to one legal entity in Russia taking into account 2 different business operating models. I was part of a project team creating value for future cross-segments and cross-functions and it was amazing experience. The distinctive feature was a hard unmovable deadline (‘project of countdown’). We had only one year from resource allocation to final execution.

I took away 4 key learnings:
1. Make informal connections with the project team – we are staying in touch even several years after the project completed.
2. The more communication the better – even if you think that essential topics are already covered don’t hesitate to repeat. It’s important to keep communication simple and make Q&A sessions with space for Associates to ask and reflect.
3. An ideal solution that fit all segments and interconnected international units doesn’t exist – make compromises and explore a balanced solution.
4. Be brave to ask for help from teammates or steering committee (resource allocation, knowledge, brainstorm, etc.).

For me it was rather challenging to build specific knowledge of each segment in a very short period and consider potential interdependencies. To get cross-functional credibility I had to visualize the link between financials, risk assessment matrix and true needs of segments.

I remember my feelings after the project was completed – “I’m tired and I can do anything” – it’s so strong and interesting experience. Firstly, I’m lucky because our project team is connected today and we use our networking in day-to-day activities supporting each other. Secondly, I’ve integrated what if scenarios and open questions tactic on my daily life. The ambiguity is filled by rumors and it’s important to share the changes as soon as you can and ask open questions, provide enough space to listen the answers, share success examples and reflect on what if something happens what will be the worst case and how you will be impacted. As soon as you get clarity on that you can drive yourself through transformation and them your team. This project made me believe that I can do anything.