Karen

Provide a description of your role and a little bit about your team:

I am responsible for ensuring that our Technical and Quality procedures work within the standards set by TASCC and BRCGS and work closely with the operational teams in the stores and labs.

How do you fit into that team?

I work with the Operation Managers to ensure we encourage a food safety culture and ensure we are audit ready with regard documentation and site hygiene.

How long have you been at Camgrain?

I have worked at Camgrain since 2007, originally as Lab/office Manager with Arable Crop Storage at Stratford and transferring to Lab Manager in 2012. I commenced my current role as Technical and Quality Manager in February 2022.

What is your career history to date? This should be a brief paragraph describing your previous role(s) before joining Camgrain, plus details of any higher education (e.g. degree studied)

After A Levels, I started a career in banking for 12 years before leaving to have my 2 sons. I did retail and office administration roles before joining Camgrain, so agriculture was a completely new field for me.

What are your day-to-day responsibilities?

Ensuring documentation is kept up to date with current standards and regular site hygiene visits to ensure standards are met. Daily support of the operations team around quality control.

What do you do in your role that people may not know about or realise?

I am a member of the UK Grain Network committee and on the TASCC Working Group which discusses industry issues and allows me to be aware of any upcoming changes.

What do you enjoy about your job? What inspires you in your role?

I enjoy the interaction I have with all four sites having been at one site for so many years and my greater involvement with operations, they are a great group of people to work with. I have a great attention to detail, and I find it very satisfying/inspiring when we work together to achieve a positive result at audits for example.

What are the challenges within your job?

Ensuring we are always audit ready alongside day-to-day operational constraints.

What drew you to apply for a role at Camgrain?

Initially it was the flexibility of the hours, working around two small children, and the possibility of learning new skills in a completely new industry in which I had no prior knowledge.

How has Camgrain changed in your time with the company?

There has been massive change, particularly at Stratford, with Yelo coming alongside site, the outsourcing of haulage and the changes in Company structure. There has been an improvement in all sites working together as a unit rather than as individual entities.



What do you enjoy doing outside of work?

I enjoy walking my Cockerpoo, Harry, getting stuck into the odd bit of DIY or gardening and drinking the occasional G & T.

Is there anything about you people might not know? A fun or interesting fact about yourself (e.g. you swam the English Channel for charity)

A few years ago, now I passed the Level 2 football coaching course so I could run my son’s weekend football team.