As digital marketing manager for Alliance in Partnership (AiP), a Sodexo-owned specialist education caterer, Charlotte Burrows relishes her role in promoting healthy, nutritious school meals that pupils want to eat.
She is currently mid-way through the roll out of School Food United (SFU) into primary schools, coming up with creative ways to encourage pupils and parents to sign up to this innovative cashless digital meal ordering system.
It hasn’t always been this way for Charlotte. She recalls a time earlier in her career where an enthusiasm for her products was lacking, so she’s pleased to have hit her stride with Sodexo.
“My first job after graduating from Leeds Beckett University in 2007 was with Asco, an educational supplies company,” explains Charlotte. “I wasn’t really looking for a career in marketing, but this role required me to overhaul the company brand and collateral so there was a big element of graphic design, which I’d become very interested in at uni.”
Charlotte grasped some great opportunities to showcase her creative flair and hone her marketing skills in a number of small independent businesses, before joining Sodexo in 2014.
“I gained lots of B2C and sales experience working for various companies including a sports watch brand, make up brand and a company manufacturing health monitors," she said. "In each role I learnt something new but the products themselves didn’t really ignite anything in me.”
She worked as the product marketing manager for an employee benefits specialist in Leamington Spa in 2011 when it was acquired by Sodexo, and she became part of the Benefits and Rewards team.
“I initially managed our retail portal; promoting our discounted high street shopping vouchers, leisure experiences and travel," said Charlotte. "I love finding a bargain and I love to travel, so there was a natural enthusiasm for what I was doing. From there I moved into marketing cinema offers to employees, again something I really enjoyed.”
After a brief spell away from Sodexo in 2018, Charlotte added: “I needed to cut down on travelling and have more of a work-life balance as I was planning a wedding, so I wanted to see if the grass was greener; it wasn’t”. Charlotte returned to Sodexo shortly after getting married in August 2019, as marketing manager at Coventry University, her home town.
“The job was a perfect fit for me. I knew Sodexo well as a business, shared its values, and am passionate about Coventry as a place."
It was a wide reaching remit covering everything from product labelling to menu promotion, I also worked on big events and campaigns to engage students with our offers as well as encouraging them to eat more healthily and sustainably.”
Just as Charlotte had found a role she could fully immerse herself in, the Covid-19 pandemic hit and lockdown closed the university. Like many of her colleagues she was redeployed a test centre contract, at the Ricoh Arena. “No two days were the same, I worked alongside some fantastic people, some of which are now lifelong friends, there was a real sense of community and we all felt that we were taking an active role in helping people through that period. It was an unforgettable experience.”
When restrictions eased and the university looked to entice students back to campus, Charlotte stepped back into her previous role and was given the pivotal task of rolling out a click-and-collect food app and service. “This was a big challenge and a tough launch for me as footfall was still significantly down, from our usual capacity of 30,000 students to around 3,000.”
With this reduced demand on campus, Charlotte was happy to step into a dual role and lend her expertise to a significant product launch across AiP’s primary school portfolio. School Food United (SFU) is a menu pre-order and payment platform for parents that ensures pupils get their first choice of lunch every single day. Following a pilot launch into four schools in December 2020, managed by Rosie Molinari, Charlotte is now responsible for an ongoing rollout that is on target to see 140 schools live by the end of 2023.
“This project requires winning the hearts and minds of not only pupils and parents but our colleagues as well,” she says. “But I love the purpose behind it, the campaigns and material we produce are exciting and proven to engage.
"With the system we can reduce the stigma of free school meals, encourage children to engage with our offer and ensure they are receiving a nutritional meal every school day."
In addition, what is fantastic from a marketeer’s perspective is that SFU produces comprehensive data to give us visibility of the success of launch and service at schools and highlights the popularity of dishes so we can constantly tailor our food to offer more of what our pupils want.”
Registrations from ‘live’ schools have been impressive to date, with many at 80% or above. “I have the freedom to be creative with ideas to engage parents and pupils through physical and digital activities and collateral including QR codes, incentives, competitions, and taster sessions. I feel very much like SFU is my baby and this role has been a career highlight so far.”
It’s that sense of trust and freedom that Charlotte admits she values the most.
“I feel I belong to a team; what I get from colleagues is amazing and I couldn’t feel more supported. But I’m encouraged to thrive on my own too, I work remotely and feel I’m more productive that way.”
When asked about the future, Charlotte is keen to keep learning. Last year she attended a Sodexo-funded two day course to improve her presentation skills and described it as ‘life changing.’ “I used to be so nervous when presenting, my voice would quiver, but it was great for my confidence.”
With the digital marketing landscape constantly evolving, there is plenty to keep Charlotte excited and motivated. “I like working with younger generations as I feel you can make an impact in those earlier years. With platforms like Tik Tok, children are sharing recipes, setting trends and patterns and making food and lifestyle choices. It’s so interesting.
“Our ultimate goal is to make sure every child gets a tasty nutritious meal every day; this is why I do the job. With the cost of living crisis, it is more important than ever. There is so much insight into how important it is to concentration, learning and general wellbeing. There has never been a better time to focus on engaging pupils and parents in the importance of food.”