Thirst for Growth – Aleida Romo Cotera is getting beverages to customers through ecommerce

Even a stellar brand like Coca-Cola must constantly find new ways to satisfy customers. Home delivery is one approach that’s putting this multi-billion-dollar company’s beverages within easier reach. A direct-to-door service comes in response to the growing shift towards digital retail – and Aleida Romo Cotera is at the forefront of this revolution. Based in Mexico, the 30-year-old leads an international development team selling Coca-Cola’s products directly to consumers through an e-commerce site.

“Translating the company’s business needs into world class technology solutions is my mission,” explains Aleida whose MSc was in Engineering Business Management. “That includes liaising between the business and development teams and the bottling system.”

All Aleida’s work is in English which this graduate was not fluent in a few years ago. Improving her grasp of the language was a key motivation for studying in the UK despite the challenge. "The standards at WMG were so high. I knew that I had selected the best place for me to grow, flourish and engage with talented students from around the world."

“WMG tutors are outstanding and it's thanks to them that I not only expanded my knowledge, but achieved a distinction for my dissertation. The course helped me grow as a person and to become more mature professionally and personally. It was a life-changing opportunity.”

In addition to a language barrier, there were significant financial hardships to overcome. After her parents separated, Aleida and her sister Maria were looked after from childhood by her mother and grandparents. Securing a loan to study was a major hurdle. So Aleida worked in the café of Warwick University’s Medical School. This allowed her to save enough to achieve her dream of her mother and sister being there in person to watch her graduate. “Maria and I were the first generation in our family to complete university. Graduation was an incredibly moving and emotional experience. It signified the end of one journey, but the start of a new and very exciting chapter in my life."

Employers have looked favourably on Aleida’s new skillset: her salary has doubled from what it was before the MSc course. In her opinion, she is able to problem solve better and think in a more structured way. What her WMG experience has taught Aleida above all is resilience. As she puts it: “There were hard times, but I feel capable of anything now if I work hard enough.”