My degree at the University of Humberside was a 4 year sandwich course consisting of two 6 month placements. The first was at Kitchen Range Foods where I worked in a microbiological/analytical laboratory and was able to develop my laboratory skills and techniques. My second placement was at Padley’s, a leading producer of poultry products, where I was able to experience the fast moving pace of new product development.

On graduating I joined Azura Foods as Technical Manager where I was responsible for the implementation and management of quality systems in a small sandwich manufacturing unit. After 12 months at Azura, I moved to Kerry Foods Ltd as a Quality Manager again responsible for on-site quality systems.

After 4 years at Kerry, I joined Whitbread Group Plc as a Food Technologist where I am responsible for managing a portfolio of suppliers, ensuring that the products they supply meet the required safety, quality and legal standards that are demanded by the Whitbread businesses. A lot of my time is spent ‘out on the road’ assessing the manufacturing processes & capabilities of potential new suppliers and auditing existing suppliers but this makes an interesting change to the office! Whitbread have provided me with extensive training to develop and improve my management and technical skills and this compliments the valuable experience I gained working in the food industry.

Would I recommend a career in the food service industry? Most definitely! It’s a dynamic environment where no two days are ever the same!