‘I CAN GO HOME EVERY DAY KNOWING I’VE MADE A DIFFERENCE’
A life-changing coincidence
‘I ended up joining Rousselot by coincidence. In my previous position, I was working as a project manager, but my real ambition was to lead teams. When a position opened up, I thought it was mine. But another person got it. By chance, the next day I spotted a similar position open at Rousselot. I sent an application, partly out of interest, but also as a reflex – it was a good reason to update my CV. I hit it off really well with the plant manager, got to know the team, and the rest is history! I’ve never regretted making the change. Now, I’ve been here 12 years.
A personal highlight
‘I’ve been involved in a lot of things while I’ve been here. One of the highlights has been the acceleration of the sensory program. Three years ago, no one was discussing the sensory aspect of production, but now, it’s essential for success. Beforehand, we often had sensory challenges, and were not leading the market in this area. However, we invested heavily, bringing in new programs and experts. It’s a real priority for us. Now, it’s one of our strong points, and we rarely have any claims. I’m proud that we made this progress so quickly. Quality counts, but this example shows that we need to do more than discuss it: we need to make decisions and act on it.
Guaranteeing high quality across the board
‘If you work in quality, your job is to bring quality to the customer. In an industry like this, expectations are always rising – the bar is being raised all the time. We need to make sure we keep up, push ahead, and always meet our customer’s expectations. Now, quality means more than just high-performing products and reliable delivery: it means that we can comply with regulations, meet unique customer specifications, and ensure sensory excellence across the board. And our aim to be number one means we need to anticipate and meet all these needs, all the time.’
‘A fan of gelatin’
‘One of the reasons I like working here is that the product and process are so exciting. There really is so much to find out about gelatin, certainly if you compare it to other products: a biscuit is just a biscuit. But gelatin has so many different facets: the process is complex, it’s natural, and there’s still so much to explore – that’s the scientist and chemist in me talking! Everyone in our company is enthusiastic about it: we all have that fire, that passion, for what we do.
Looking forward
‘What makes this company exciting is that we believe in what we do, are ambitious, and know we can go much further. We know that we need to keep up with the world, too: from changing technology to shifting customer expectations, there are always things to respond to or get ahead of. By focusing on our own approach, talking with our employees, and listening to our customers, we can ensure the highest standards of quality across the board.’