Introducing Pizza Hut's Graduate Program

Abhirami Soonu

DESCRIBE YOUR GRADUATE JOURNEY THUS FAR?

In the beginning, I was intrigued by the Hut family culture and how welcoming everyone was. We started with a cohort of other graduates who were on a similar journey, so it was great to experience onboarding with other grads and knowing you're not alone! As a few months went by, I branched out into the brand world and picked up on responsibilities, and got exposed to the fast-paced culture. With the help of my team, I picked up different skills and projects along the way that have significantly shaped me as a person. Everyday is a new learning opportunity for me and there’s never been a dull moment here at Pizza Hut!

WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF?

What I’m most proud of is my GROWTH in the past 8 months. Being part of the brand team has exposed me to so many different areas that go into bringing a campaign to life. If I had to pick one key campaign that I was most proud to work on it would be the Super Triple Treat Box. Starting from the initial stages of being part of research and tasting where we tested several ideas to brand partnerships with Tabasco and creative status calls with agencies, filming and shooting content, official launch and of course making sure the launch was special to the team internally as well.

WHAT’S THE BEST ADVICE YOU HAVE RECEIVED?

The best advice I’ve received is

• “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.”
• Always push myself beyond my limits where uncomfortable things suddenly seem doable!

WHAT IS THE MOST EXCITING PART OF YOUR JOB?

The first time I tried Pizza was in 2007 and it was the Super Supreme from Pizza Hut of course! Pizza Hut is part of some of my core memories as I’ve grown up with the brand and shared some special moments like birthdays, parties and get togethers with family and friends. It was until I saw the job posting for the Marketing Graduate role that I realized I could be part of the team that makes all the magic happen. Fast forward to today, the most exciting part of my job is being able to see all the work I do come to life, seeing the campaigns go live, seeing them outdoors and knowing that there are others who are making special memories with the brand and that I helped to contribute to that.

Abigal Mokoena

DESCRIBE YOUR GRADUATE JOURNEY THUS FAR?

It has been a journey of continuous learning and unlearning. I have learned so much, yet I have had to unlearn some things as well. I think the word “Thrilling” best describes the journey.

WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF?

Getting through each day!! On a serious note, though, I'm most proud of?my Growth. Just looking back and realizing all these things that I couldn’t do or did not know and now I do and also just the whole realization that I deal with some situations better than I would have a few months ago. I am also proud of the person I have become.

WHAT’S THE BEST ADVICE YOU HAVE RECEIVED?

• “If you can’t control what’s happening around you, focus on what’s happening inside you “
• “What if it actually works out? Entertain that thought
• “Listen more than you speak”

? WHAT HAVE YOU ENJOYED ABOUT WORKING AT PIZZA HUT? ?

Other than always being surrounded by such great talent, I absolutely admire PH’s diverse and unique culture. The team is so supportive of one another, knowledge is easily shared and it’s easy to be comfortable around them. Also, love how greatly recognition is encouraged. It’s always nice for people to know they’re appreciated, seen, valued, and heard.

Aya Laimoun

DESCRIBE YOUR GRADUATE JOURNEY THUS FAR?

The graduate program has been a huge learning experience from both a professional and personal perspective. From the first day I joined, I felt very welcomed into the Pizza Hut family and very supported by everyone. In my journey so far, I’ve been working on two main projects: Yext and Gaming. I’ve managed the partnership with Yext and completed the implementation process. We’ve also kick started the gaming project and onboarded a gaming partner (how exciting!). Overall, it’s been an amazing experience working with a truly supportive and inspiring Hut Family.

WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF?

I am most proud of my growth at Pizza Hut as I’ve become more confident and I’ve been pushed out of my comfort zone, which I’m very grateful for! I am also very proud of the things I’ve achieved, including the Yext project, being the sole owner of the project and leading it with success.

WHAT HAVE YOU ENJOYED ABOUT WORKING AT PIZZA HUT?

I feel lucky to be working at Pizza Hut and the one thing I’ve enjoyed the most is the culture and people. I believe Pizza Hut is one of the best companies to work at because of its inclusive and supportive culture. I’ve also enjoyed working with the team and all the fun we’ve had on offsites, lunches and just day-to-day conversations! I’ve definitely made friends at Pizza Hut and I’m very thankful!

WHAT ENCOURAGED YOU TO CHOOSE YOUR FIELD OF STUDY?

Fun fact: I was initially enrolled in dentistry before switching to marketing! Although I’ve always loved Mathematics and Science in high school, hence why I wanted to pursue dentistry at first, I developed a love for marketing & social media. The main reason why I chose marketing was because of the endless creativity and opportunity I saw in it, and I knew that this field would never fizzle out. It’s crucial in every kind of business (even personal marketing/branding!). Another factor was the different paths I could take in this field. I’ve dabbled in many fields of marketing prior to Pizza Hut including social media management, influencer management, CRM, sales and much more. E-Commerce and CRM are a passion points for me as both allow me to be creative and analytical, the best of both worlds!

Bontle Nkomo

DESCRIBE YOUR GRADUATE JOURNEY THUS FAR?

I’ve always enjoyed solving problems since I was a child because I want to make a difference and leave an impact wherever I go, which landed me in this challenging and yet beautiful journey of which I am grateful to be part of, From the start of my Graduate Program, I was welcomed with open arms by my team. I was grateful to have supportive managers and considered myself to be lucky having two managers who were and still are very invested in my growth and believe in me. I also made Friends out of Colleagues who always went the extra mile to check in and make sure I was settling in well. I deeply appreciated all the support and I instantly felt like I was in the right place. From lunch meetings to drinks, I got to know my team better as we shared stories and created cherished memories. Some days were better than the others of course! I faced a few challenges, and doubts share one of my biggest challenges was to embark on projects I had no idea about especially new projects and presentations but was ready for it just by making sure always had my positive attitude in the bag! was lucky to have a team and Managers to guide and help me lead with Smart, Heart and Courage! the one thing that Astounds me was a unique and diverse culture, distinct and supportive culture that I highly admired.

WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF?

Who I am today! My educational achievements were not a walk in the park and how I have grown mentally and spiritually. I’m glad I faced all challenges life gave me head on, because it exposed me to so many new things and taught me how to always look at situations with a positive attitude and gave me the opportunity to immerse myself in a wide variety of experiences and life lessons.

WHAT’S THE BEST ADVICE YOU HAVE RECEIVED?

I have received multiple pieces of advice that I carry with me today:

• Dreams don’t work unless you do!
• Don’t wait to be given an opportunity work hard towards it and grab every opportunity you get.
• Always be ready for anything!
• Step out of your Comfort zone.

WHAT ENCOURAGED YOU TO CHOOSE YOUR FIELD OF STUDY?

My strong love and care for people guided me to choose my field of study Industrial psychology and Human Resources. I wanted to see myself help people more especially workers developing themselves. Funny how one of my favorite modules was Human developmental studies after psychotherapy which are all about functioning and optimizing the best version of yourself within your attributes. Which lead me to see that the most important peace to success is people because it thought me that You cannot achieve anything without people, absolutely NOTHING! 100% of the employees are people, 100% of the customers are people, and 100% of the investors are people. If you do not understand people, you don’t understand business!