When she started at Alfa Beta Vassilopoulos – Ahold Delhaize’s brand in Greece – as a retail management trainee in March 2017, Georgia Skoulikariti didn’t know she wasn’t just joining a company, but the “AB family.” Over the past 5.5 years she has grown and matured within this family. “Joining this company has been truly life-changing for me. It has shaped me into the person I am today.”
When she was young, Georgia dreamed of becoming a doctor. Not an easy route to take, particularly in Greece, where it’s quite hard to get into med school. “To become a doctor, you have to study really hard and be an outstanding student. I was a good student, but I wasn’t the best. I prefer to learn on the job: I’d rather do something than read about it. That way it sticks in my mind and I get better at it. So, ultimately, I decided not to go into medicine. It was my dad who pointed me in the direction of Agricultural Economics, believing it might be a good fit for me. He was right. I loved it – I was even top of my class! Throughout my life, my dad has played an important role in many pivotal moments. He just knows me very well.”
One such pivotal moment happened a year after Georgia graduated with her bachelor’s degree. She was working in a sales job at a telecommunications company, and was in two minds about whether or not to pursue a master’s degree. “When I came across an ad for a position at Alfa Beta, my interest was piqued right away. As Alfa Beta is one of the top retailers in Greece, landing a job there seemed like the perfect opportunity. The chance to work for a global company where I could learn so much was a dream come true. Joining this company and the ‘AB family’ was really life-changing – and the perfect start to my career.”
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Making peace with not having all the answers (yet)
It was her years as assistant store manager that were particularly transformative. “After my trainee year, I became assistant store manager of an AB store here in Athens. I was 24, which was considered very young – people in such roles are often in their forties or fifties. I won’t lie: the first year was pretty tough. Here I was, supervising a team of 30 people who expected me to have all the answers. But the reality was that I didn’t. When people asked me something I didn’t know, I didn’t pretend. I told them honestly that I wasn’t sure, but would go find out and get back to them as soon as possible.”
“Luckily, there are so many experienced people in this company who have been working here for a long time. They’re such a great source of inspiration and knowledge and are always willing to give advice and help out. In those four years as assistant store manager, I learned so much about the company, our customers and, last but not least, myself. I’ve gained some valuable skills that I still use every day.”
Nearly six months ago, Georgia exchanged “her” store in Athens for the commercial department at the company’s support office, also based in Athens. “I was ready for a new challenge. It’s one of the things I love about working for AB: if you’re open about your ambitions, the company will go out of its way to accommodate you and offer you opportunities to grow. As junior category manager, I’m responsible for several departments within the beverages category: beers, juice, water, refreshments, wines and spirits. I oversee these categories for approximately 600 stores, including our AB supermarkets and the ENA Food Cash & Carry stores – Ahold Delhaize’s other brand in Greece.”
Eyes on the prize
Among many other things, Georgia loves the variety that her job brings. “I can be negotiating with suppliers, executing a pricing strategy, sharing tips and tricks with other junior category managers and working on meeting the requirements of my promotion plan – all in one day. As an outgoing, results-driven person, I love the constant interaction and relationship building with people, and I’m always keeping my eyes on the goal: to ensure that our customers can find anything they need at our store, at a competitive price. It might sound like a cliché, but our customers’ happiness really is our top priority.”
To secure a competitive price and be successful in a commercial role, you need to be a competitive person. And Georgia certainly has that in her nature. You can see it clearly when she’s on the tennis court, where she’s been spending a lot of time ever since she started lessons when she was five years old. “Tennis has always been one of my biggest passions. I even played professionally for a few years, but despite my competitive nature, I prefer to play for fun. That said, when I’m on the court, I’m certainly in it to win it. Playing tennis is the perfect way for me to relax and blow off steam.”
The best of both worlds
Another perfect place to relax is at home in Athens, where Georgia lives with her parents. “We’re a very close-knit family. My dad is still the first person I reach out to if I need advice or if something is on my mind. Both my dad and my mom will listen to me carefully, and then offer their input. As my parents are very different people, their suggestions on what I should or shouldn’t do differ a lot, too. I consider both of their perspectives and then take the best from each to guide me.”
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Name: Georgia Skoulikariti (1993)
Started working at AB Vassilopoulos: March 2017
Studied: BA Agricultural Economics (Agricultural University of Athens, 2016)
Living with: My parents, in Athens
Hobbies: Playing tennis and watching movies (feel-good movies, detective movies and thrillers)
Wake me up in the middle of the night for: Chocolate cake and my mom’s cooking (she’s a great cook)
Favorite holiday destination: Mani, Peloponnese and the Greek islands
Life-changing event: Joining AB Vassilopoulos as a trainee
Biggest source of inspiration: My parents
Best advice I’ve ever received: “When you work, you make mistakes.” It was one of the first pieces of advice I was given when I started in my new role. It’s very true and it’s helped me not to worry too much if I do slip up. Another great bit of advice: always be comfortable with yourself and the things you do
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