Career spotlight: Eilidh Wynd of Simon Howie
Scottish Food & Drink Ambassadors bring the sector to life talking about everyday experiences at careers events, classroom lessons, site visit, STEM-focused events and workshops for teachers and career influencers.
They all have their own stories and here we meet one of our Ambassadors here - Eilidh Wynd, commercial executive at Simon Howie Foods - and ask her to share her story.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself
I used to be a pipe band tenor drummer, where I competed, performed and taught across the UK and Europe – I even became the most watched female instructor on an American-based drumming website!
I am also the self-proclaimed Queen of Skyscanner ( £14 flights anyone?) and have had a quarter-life crisis leading me to take up running and have now completed four half marathons this year…
Tell us about your careers journey so far
I had various jobs throughout uni but my main one was drumming teaching, in various schools, bands & abroad. I originally planned to study languages & education at university, but my mum persuaded me to pick up business instead of education.
I totally fell in love with management and all things commercial, so very glad I took her advice ( don’t tell her that!).
After I graduated, I completed the Bakkavor Commercial Graduate Programme, working with Tesco Produce and Waitrose Desserts. It was a big change moving from Scotland to Lincolnshire, but it really shaped me. We also worked with Fieri who really grew my confidence and self-awareness. In July 2022 I moved back to sunny(ish) Scotland to work at Simon Howie Foods – a company I always admired within an industry I dreamt of being in. I am very grateful and proud of where I am now.
“This industry is so special because there is such a community feel. Everyone wants to perform well for themselves but also for the wider team of ‘Scotland food & drink’. ”
“‘Commercial executive’ basically means you manage people, products, money making potential and opportunities... You are a ringleader, spinning lots of plates and the go-to person for the category.”
What was your favourite subject in school and why?
I loved languages and music – not used in my current role at all! I liked the creativity and learning about different cultures. It’s a shame I never got to study business in school, but I joined our Young Enterprise team, took part in multiple interschool activities and organised some of the committees in S6 ( channelling my corporate girlie era early) so as much as I didn’t study anything to do with commercial, I learned a lot of vital skills linked to it instead!
What subjects/qualifications/skills are useful for your role?
I have a 1st from Stirling University in International Management and Languages which taught me the basics of business. I completed the Bakkavor Commercial Graduate Programme which gave me real life working experience. I am a former top level pipe band drummer which gave me lots of experience working within, and leading, a team. There is a lot of plate juggling and organising in this role so time management and good communication is essential. I also love a spreadsheet so any Excel hacks you can learn make such a difference – if a sheet isn’t colour-coded don’t talk to me!
What is your favourite thing about your job?
I love to chat so talking is a big selling point! I genuinely love our products and the Scotland food & drink industry so it comes naturally to shout about them.
This industry is so special because there is such a community feel. Everyone wants to perform well for themselves but also for the wider team of Scotland food & drink. This joy is at its peak at the annual Excellence Awards, where I was fortunate enough to win the Young Talent Award in 2024 – teachers who say talking won’t get you anywhere can give me a call any time.
What is a normal day in your role like?
This is so hard… my day can be spent in the office; looking at sales forecasts, promotion planning, seasonal event organising and analysing the latest cut of data. It can be spent in store; looking at any new product releases, where our products are on shelf and speaking to store managers about any challenges they are facing. It can be spent with our buyers; going through growth plans and ideas for the year to come. It can be spent at a conference or sampling days; speaking directly to shoppers about our products.
Commercial is so varied and can be very intense and stressful, where you need to be on top of a lot of things at once, but I secretly love the pressure and thrive off it.
And what does your job title mean?
“Commercial executive” basically means you manage people, products, money making potential and opportunities.
You want to make your customer happy and make them money, while also keeping your home company happy and making money. It involves organising product ranges, analysing data of what products (or competitor products) could be performing better and how you can improve this. You need to be able to work with people, manage deadlines and drive towards growth for all parties involved.
You are a ringleader, spinning lots of plates and the go-to person for the category.
Can you suggest an activity that could be done at home that illustrates an aspect of your work?
Sell me this pen… just kidding!
A fun way to try out sales it by looking at an item and think of how you could sell it to different people - I was always taught with the analogy of a car. You can sell it as “reliable, efficient, spacious” if it’s for a family, or “fast acceleration , newer model, optional additions” if it’s for someone younger
You can apply this to a lot of things like “smaller pack size so its great for convenience stores” or “smaller pack size so people need to buy two”.