Lucy Cassels, Tyler Spagnuolo and Peter Standfast (L-R below), the first cohort to complete our two-year Finance Graduate Scheme, share their highlights so far.
Behind every great business is a strong pipeline of talent, and our Finance Graduate Programme is one way we’re building that future from within. Attracting early-career finance talent has become increasingly competitive for HEINEKEN UK, so we’ve been investing in graduates who can help fill this pipeline and develop into the next generation of finance leaders.
What makes this programme stand out is its project-based design. Over two years, graduates complete four six-month rotations across the business, working on real, often complex challenges. This not only accelerates their development but delivers tangible value to the business through work that would be difficult to prioritise without dedicated resource.
Kathryn McLeod, functional lead for the programme, says:
“I’m really proud of what Lucy, Peter and Tyler have achieved over the last two years and the energy and fresh thinking they’ve brought to HEINEKEN.
"The success of the programme is also thanks to the wider finance community. Dozens of colleagues have played a role, from acting as line managers, mentors and buddies, to supporting the graduates as they present their projects to the Finance Leadership Team.
"I’m looking forward to building on this with the new cohort starting in September.”
The role
Peter: The programme is structured to make sure you’re accountable for delivering something tangible. One of my placements was in Supply Chain Finance, working closely with Procurement, on a complex project to transition the Brewery Engineering Stores to an insourced service after being outsourced for 20 years. This has delivered cost savings and new dashboards for the spare parts we buy without disrupting operations.
Most recently, I've been on the Neptune ERP project making sure the customer deposit balances gets transferred into the new system correctly, including any interest. It's been a great experience to be part of such a big transformational project.
Tyler: The projects have been really varied. In Process & Control Improvement, I worked on a card and cash expenses claim dashboard. It was interesting to see all the spend of the business. In Strategic Finance I worked on the Fuel4Growth competition, trying to drive cost savings and working a lot with the wider business on this.
In Reporting & Accounting, I worked on a project to eliminate paper invoicing, which may not sound very interesting, but it was quite a big challenge with a lot of learning. And now in Procurement I’m doing a lot of contracts with suppliers and looking at the data landscape from a commercial standpoint.
Lucy: Each rotation has been very different, giving me the opportunity to work collaboratively across the business. I started the graduate programme in the Tax team, where I designed and implemented an Excise Due Diligence policy for Brixton Brewery, working closely with our Brixton colleagues.
In my Commercial Finance rotation, I worked with the Off Trade team on a rebates report and with Marketing Finance on a range of improvements, including e-learning, Power BI dashboards and app launches.
Why HEINEKEN?
Tyler: I applied to a few graduate schemes and I’m really happy that this is the one I got. I love it here. The global name and the culture of \working for a beer brand definitely drew me towards HEINEKEN. Doing the project-led rotations is interesting because it feels like you're adding value, and it’s great to be able to do a qualification alongside that. Everyone has been really supportive throughout the programme, and I’ve been given a lot of responsibility and trust early on.
Lucy: What drew me to HEINEKEN was the variety of what you do within the graduate scheme. All three of us are also doing our CIMA qualifications so we’ve been able to progress professionally and personally. I’ve had really great mentoring throughout which has had a big impact on my development. Every team I've joined has been so welcoming and people want you to do well.
Peter: HEINEKEN is a market leader, so you know you're going to be working with very talented colleagues that want to be the best in the industry. The calibre and experience of the people who guide you through the early stages of your career is really important, and being able to unwind with them in the bar after a productive week is a nice touch.
Standout moments
Lucy: With the different placements and moving around, I've had opportunities to travel and see different areas of the business. I’ve been to Hereford, Brixton and to HEINEKEN Business Services (HBS) centre in Poland.
I've got some strong friendships here too. I’m a member of the social committee which has been a fun part of the experience and the office bar is also a highlight of the job. Being able to connect and socialise with colleagues there and bring family and friends is a really nice extra.
Peter: My proudest moment was going to an event to receive the award for highest performing student in Scotland for my CIMA operational case study exam – I was 8th globally. And the highlight was probably right at the start with the trip down to Hereford during milling season. The weather was amazing and it was great to see a process that's so intense for a short period of time in full flow.
I’ve also enjoyed organising coffee roulette, which has been a great way to help colleagues meet new people and improve collaboration, and turning consumer insight into tangible actions that the On Trade team can take into pubs as part of the Category Curious collective.
Tyler: Mine is not work related, but back in 2024 I won a global competition for Player 0.0, which was a brand-led initiative spread across 20 different countries with a campaign linked to Formula 1 and Max Verstappen as the ambassador. I was flown out to Madrid for a big global gaming event, which was amazing. I got to experience HEINEKEN on the global stage and indulge my passion for Formula 1 while meeting colleagues from all over the world. The friendships and people I’ve met throughout this scheme have been the overall highlight.
Biggest learning
Lucy: It’s been constant learning for us, with new placements starting every six months. Coming just out of university, my biggest learning has been adapting to a large, fast-paced organisation and understanding how everything fits together. For me personally, developing my technical finance knowledge has been important, and the list of acronyms is never-ending!
Tyler: To be honest, one learning has been how not straightforward everything is. When you look at HEINEKEN from the outside, it's this big global company, which seems to have everything down to a T. But in doing some of the projects, like the paper invoices one, it was surprising how tough working with data can be when there are so many different entities with different systems.
Peter: During my time on the graduate scheme, I've taken away three key learnings that have shaped how I think about finance. Firstly, strong controls are critical to keeping the engine running at a company the size of HEINEKEN, and Finance plays a large part in setting those expectations. Secondly, being able to produce good analysis isn't enough – the value comes from turning it into something that people can act on and trying to be the ‘so what?’, not just the ‘what’. Finally, it’s really important to be able to simplify the numbers and put your analysis into an engaging story that can be understood by all. That’s been important across all the rotations.
What's next?
Tyler: I’ve recently been successful in getting a role in the Reporting & Accounting team, where I completed one of my rotations. I’m really looking forward to being back in the team and building on the technical experience I gained there. I’m now exam-qualified, and with one more year of experience needed to become fully qualified, it’s a great opportunity for me to keep developing.
Peter: I’ve also secured a landing role and will be working as an analyst in the Star Pubs Finance team. I’m keen to apply the skills I've been developing in a more commercial setting. I’ll also be keeping an eye on global opportunities in a couple of years. That’s definitely something I’m interested in.
Lucy: I’ve secured a permanent role in Supply Chain Finance starting in August. I’ve passed my exams so far and just have one more to sit. Longer term I would love to gain experience in another OpCo, but I'm very happy to be staying in the UK for the time being. And I’m looking forward to supporting the three new Finance graduates starting in September so that they can make the most of the experience.