Case studies : Colour Projects Manager at AkzoNobel: Phillipa Lomax

Phillipa studied English literature at Lancaster University before joining the graduate programme at AkzoNobel and taking on a range of roles

The company has truly lived up to my expectations. Within the first three months I was given the opportunity to launch an entirely new Light and Space paint range into the trade market. It was exciting and petrifying at the same time. The launch was complex and I had to assemble a cross functional team to develop everything from new liveries and colour ranges to collateral and point of sale items. The launch itself was a huge success. We far exceeded our sales targets for the first year. Six years on and the range has gone from strength to strength.

I remember early on a senior manager saying I should be true to myself and that's what I have tried to do while working at AkzoNobel. Since finishing the graduate scheme I have had a number of roles within the marketing department. My first job was as Colours Brand Manager for Dulux Trade. This involved taking responsibility for the day to day management of a range of products, tools and services, as well as for a number of major product launches including the Dulux Heritage range, DesignHub and Veritag. I then moved into AkzoNobel's international business department as a Regional Marketing Manager. Here I looked after marketing activities for nine countries where the company exported or licensed products. As my remit ranged from Australia to Nigeria I did fair amount of travelling and it was fascinating to work with such varied brands, markets and cultures.

I have had some amazing moments in the company. Through the Let's Colour Project, we're transforming grey spaces all over the world with colour and changing people's lives. I brought the Let's Colour movement to three countries Cyprus, Nigeria and Bulgaria.

For me AkzoNobel is about being given opportunities, responsibility from day one and ownership over difficult and complex projects. Projects which allow you to push yourself and develop while adding real value to the company.

Recently I accepted a new position as Colour Projects Manager working in our Global Marketing department. My responsibilities will include looking at our professional colour strategy from a global perspective and advising AkzoNobel Business Units around the world on best practice. It's another role packed with challenges and interest and add to that great colleagues, a fantastic salary for my age it's no wonder I really look forward to coming to work everyday.