Success Story - Diana Arvivo, Brand Manager, API Churi Distribution Ltd. / Hila Yaakobi

when she was a girl the only thing diana arvivo, now 31, wanted was to be involved in sports. after her military service, with a background on the israeli fencing team, diana started studying physical education at the wingate institute. but while studying and working as a saleswoman at a furniture store, where she substantially increased the store's sales volume, diana realized she wanted to change course and specialize in sales.

"throughout my childhood i was involved in sports and shortly after making aliyah i got accepted to the israeli fencing team. during my studies i worked at a furniture store in netanya. i was quickly promoted to senior positions thanks to the large number of sales
i brought in. during the last year of my studies the store manager offered to pay for my master's degree studies in business administration and marketing so that eventually
i would manage company branches. unfortunately, on the day of my graduation the company went bankrupt."

six months ago dianna found a job as a brand manager at api churi distribution through the jobnet site, after working as a brand manager at a large fashion company.

what made you leave a prestigious position at a large fashion company and start looking for a new job?
"i was unable to exert any influence at my job. i functioned more as a doer and less in managing the brand itself. in other words i was carrying out decisions reached by the executive management and was encountering difficulties leading processes at the company. decisions were made at the upper level, so everything started and ended there. furthermore, as a mother of two small children, the long hours weren't right for me."

diana arvivo at the offices of api churi distribution ltd.

what kind of company were you looking for?
"i was looking for a company with a larger selection of products and one that had private labels. i was looking for a place where i'd be able to grow and advance. churi has excellent labels and i have the opportunity to develop them and make my ideas heard."

where did you look for work?
"i focused on the electronic media - jobnet and another site that charges a subscription fee. it was the first time in my life i had to look for work since i had found my previous job through personal connections. i distributed my resume widely, applying for jobs in marketing and sales. a week later i got a call from rotem meir, churi's human resources manager, along with two other job offers, all through jobnet."

what led you to decide in favor of churi distribution?
"i was contacted by two other companies for marketing positions, but i had a problem with their far-away locations. during the recruitment process at churi i went to two interviews. the first, a personality interview, was conducted by rotem meir, the human resources manager, and moshe arad, the operations manager. the second interview, a professional interview, was done at the executive level and during that interview i was asked questions about the world of cosmetics, company brands and marketing processes. i also took screening exams at a screening and placement company.
one of the hiring conditions was starting immediately. but since i had given six weeks' notice at my prior company, i had no choice other than to turn down the job offer at churi. when my commitment came to an end i went on a six-week vacation and again began to send out my resume. to my surprise i again came across a position for a brand manager at churi. rotem got back to me and this time i was available."

rotem meir, human resources manager, on the company:
"api churi distribution ltd. was founded in 1978 by asher and yitzchak churi. the company provides marketing and distribution services for cosmetics, perfume and toiletry products around the country. private retailers comprise a large and important segment of the company's customers, including pharmacies, kibbutzim, department stores, mini-markets and perfumeries around the country. the company also serves leading food chains such as co-op, supersal, hamashbir fashion warehouses, hamashbir hachadash letzarchan, etc. the company has over 200 employees, including sales clerks and beauty consultants at points of sale around the country."

how does your cooperation with jobnet help you?
"during the course of the year, through jobnet we've recruited many employees for a variety of positions in all fields, from the "gleaner" who works in the warehouse preparing the orders, to the brand managers, account managers, etc. we place ads on a number of slots on the site and get a large quantity of resumes for every position. this gives us the ability to locate the best candidates of the bunch."

diana, how did your first day at the company go?
"first of all, they suggested i come in on the first day with gym shoes because every new worker at every rank starts out at the company from the warehouse, "gleaning" products and putting together orders for customers. the aim is to gain an in-depth familiarity with all of the products the company distributes and manufactures. this integration helped me a lot at a later stage. by being directly exposed to the range of products i learned about how the company operates and got to know a lot of employees that are not connected with the marketing department.
also, marketing director amit sivan and brand manager keren peleg, who works with me, softened my entry into the job and took me in with open arms and a lot of patience. the executive board also made sure to include me in all meetings to introduce me to the job in the quickest, most comfortable way possible."

how did your job as a brand manager change at churi, compared to your previous job?
"today i manage two labels, la sera makeup and deluxe body care and classic makeup, perfume and toiletries, labels that we develop and market, which makes the responsibility greater and the work fascinating and challenging. at churi the brand manager's task is complex and built of many layers. in my job i'm involved in everything related to the label, including regular management and implementation of the label strategy, making marketing decisions, developing products, etc. at churi i have an opportunity to lead changes and influence final decisions. working at churi is also convenient and flexible.
i generally work until 5:00 o'clock, which allows me quality time with my family."

what's the atmosphere at the company like?
"it's a very special company in that the employees give one another support and encouragement. the senior managers believe in the employees and give them plenty of freedom to initiate and have an impact. i get up in the morning wanting to go in to work and i feel a lot of gratification from my job.
churi is a family-oriented company in every respect. first of all because the owners are brothers, which brings a feeling of family, warmth and caring that trickles down to all of the workers and creates a fabulous atmosphere."

are you pleased with your transition to churi and do you see yourself at the company several years down the road?
"i'm definitely pleased. this is a period of flourishing for me. i'm doing what i love to do and see results from the ideas i brought forth. managing two labels is a big challenge for me and i feel very lucky to have been hired for a position that gives me a sense of fulfillment. also, the company is constantly growing, so i have room to advance and aspire."

what suggestions do you have for job-hunters?
"i strongly recommend looking for work via the internet, particularly by visited the jobnet site. on two occasions i tried my luck looking for a position in marketing and twice i got responses from several companies after a short time. to this day i receive new job offers by e-mail and the site offers a large selection."


for more success stories, click on employment articles

looking for work? go to search

looking for employees? go to contact

join everybody's success at jobnet!


for the hebrew article