Brenda Smith
Coca-Cola
Mableton, GA USA
"That’s a part of the journey—trying to figure out what things actually make you happy and work with your whole life."
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Brenda's work combines: Business, Food, and Accomplishing Goals
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Advice for getting started
There was a time in my career when I starting doubting the amount of time it was taking for me to get a promotion. I felt like I had been at the manager level for so long and I wasn't moving up the corporate ladder as quickly as I should have been. Someone gave me an opportunity to take on a development assignment. I learned a lot and out of that came a leadership role. If you take time to reflect, you'll see that the things you think are setbacks are actually opportunities to learn and grow.
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
Mechanical Engineering
Southern University
Graduate Degree
Finance and Operations Management
Tulane University
Life & Career Milestones
I've taken a lot of twists and turns
1.
I grew up in Louisiana—I was an only child and spent a lot of time with my father and uncles tinkering with things and figuring out how they operate.
2.
I graduated from Southern University with a degree in mechanical engineering.
3.
I started my career as an engineer for an oil company that I had previously completed an internship with while in college.
4.
After a few years, I went to graduate school and earned my MBA in finance and operations management from Tulane University.
5.
I transitioned into the finance industry and took a job as a financial analysis manager for American Airlines—I found that I really enjoyed operations, project management, and commercialization.
6.
I got the opportunity to join Coca-Cola in a management rotation program, through which I got to experience many different parts of the business.
7.
When I eventually landed a project management role in innovation, my career really took off and I started to move upwards in the company.
8.
I have since spent over 20 years with Coca-Cola and currently work as the Vice President of Category Commercialization.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Myself:
I should be moving up faster than this. Why am I still at this level? It's taking me too long to progress.
How I responded:
There was a time in my career when I starting doubting the amount of time it was taking for me to get a promotion. I felt like I had been at the manager level for so long and I wasn't moving up the corporate ladder as quickly as I should have been. Someone gave me an opportunity to take on a development assignment. I learned a lot and out of that came a leadership role. If you take time to reflect, you'll see that the things you think are setbacks are actually opportunities to learn and grow.