234: Career Conversations: Working for 'the biggest company you've never heard of'

<div>When Mark Whalley was doing his degree in English Literature and Creative Writing, he had no idea that he would end up happily working as <a href="https://foodmatterslive.com/discover/article/all-change/">Consumer</a> Insights Controller for a major food company.<br> <br> </div> <div>"I didn't know what consumer insights was," he tells Elisa Roche in the latest Career Conversations episode. "I thought I would be a primary school teacher."<br> <br> </div> <div>But it was when he saw a job advertised that he thought it was worth a shot. He says he didn't apply because he had a particular interest in the sector, he just thought he would be good at it.<br> <br> </div> <div>And, it turns out, he was. He now works for <a href="https://www.greencore.com/">Greencore</a>, a major food manufacturer, supplying lots of different types of convenience foods.<br> <br> </div> <div>Greencore make just about everything, from ready meals, to soups, <a href="https://foodmatterslive.com/discover/article/cultivated-salmon-wildtype-justin-kolbeck-interview/">sushi</a>, and quiche.<br> <br> </div> <div>Mark describes it as "the biggest company you've never heard of".<br> <br> </div> <div>He says that after a couple of years working in the sector, he discovered a real passion for working out what shoppers want.<br> <br> </div> <div>Although he studied English, he says anyone who is curious about people can excel in the role. And people with a <a href="https://foodmatterslive.com/discover/article/the-psychology-behind-the-relationship-between-food-and-colour/">psychology</a> or sociology background are often well-suited.<br> <br> </div> <div>Listen on to find out what an average day looks like for a Consumer Insights Controller, why you will often find Mike hanging around supermarket aisles, and how his job has taken him all around the world.<br> <br> </div> <div> <strong>Mark Whalley, Consumer Insights Controller, Greencore<br> </strong><br> </div> <div>Mark has spent more than a decade working in consumer insight, startin