Each month, we put the spotlight on a Glanbia Ireland employee and for our January newsletter, Claire Hou from the Glanbia China team is in the hotseat

Tell us how long you have worked in Glanbia and a little about your role?

I’m from Glanbia Ireland China team and I take care of GI marketing in China. I also do brand communication to consumers here. I joined Glanbia on the 11th of November 2019, it’s a very special day to both me and Chinese consumers as my on-board date was also the biggest/craziest Chinese shopping gala of the year – the Double 11. This helps me to remember that whatever I do in marketing, I should always put myself in the consumer’s position.

For colleagues outside China, can you explain why the Chinese market is so important to us?

Because I am right in the middle of the Chinese market, I can feel the very huge change that has happened here. Consumers are more and more pursuing the better life, the higher quality food. Dairy products are a very important part of that. Domestic high quality milk sources are still in short supply in China, so it’s a good opportunity for Glanbia to plan and develop dairy business in China.

What’s your favourite thing about working in Glanbia Ireland?

I like the welcoming team and good working environment. I feel really free to work here, I like to work hard with my team members and play hard taking activities with them.

What are you most proud of in your job?

Right now, GI China is a small team. There are a lot of new challenges and I have to push myself to keep learning all the time. It’s a tough nut to crack but as I believe high quality dairy products are an important potential market in China, I am very proud and happy to work in such a company, to fight together with a team to do some real things to bring Chinese consumers to a better healthy life in the future.

How do you describe GI to friends or family outside of work?

I say GI is the top dairy company with a wide range of well-known brands in Ireland. The Chinese are not that familiar with Ireland so I tell them its dairy story to my friends when I get the chance and recommend them to try great Irish dairy.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

We have a super chef called Clyde in GI China. He develops and tests all kinds of new recipes of dessert and pastry in the office. As well as tasting and giving feedback to Clyde’s masterpieces, recently I began to practice these recipes in my spare time. I found myself becoming a fan of home baking now… It’s so exciting to see amazing desserts and pastries that can be made by yourself at home! And it’s an enjoyable thing to share this delicious food with my friends and family.

A birthday cake that chef Clyde made for us. We’ve got three colleagues with very close birthdays on Sep 19/20/21, so Clyde made us this super amazing cake – three layers with three of our favourite types of cake! Although I am just a beginner of bakery, this is what I aim to approach in the future, hahaha!