The Post: Quality Manager, Trouw Nutrition Ireland
The Post Holder: Mary Stevenson
A background in agriculture and an interest in food processing led Mary Stevenson to her role as a Quality Manager with Trouw Nutrition.
Give a brief outline of your career to date.
I started my career in the food industry in a technical role for a major retailer and then in poultry processing for seven years. I took a career break to raise my children, however I was eager to get back on the career ladder once they started primary school, which is when I secured a research and development position for a global manufacturing company. My role allowed me to travel worldwide to Sweden and Japan regularly. I moved to my current role within Trouw Nutrition Ireland in January 2017.
What was your favourite subject at school?
All the sciences. I love finding out how things work and seeing how biology, chemistry and physics integrate with each other.
Did you go on to further/higher education, if so, what did you study and where?
I did not follow the normal route of A-levels to university. I went to a small country school which did not offer A-levels, so I did a National Diploma in Food Technology at CAFRE. This qualification was the stepping stone to gaining a place on a degree course – a BSc (Hons) in Biomedical Sciences from Ulster University.
Interestingly it wasn’t considered a good long-term investment for females to advance into higher education in small rural farming communities within Northern Ireland; my mother and I had to do a bit of convincing to my father, but in the end, they both supported my education choices.
How did you get into your area of work?
Technical and governance roles have always been an area of interest to me. I have deep roots in agriculture, my father was a dairy farmer, and I married a farmer too, but I wanted to choose my own career path in the industry. Technical governance and agriculture led me to Quality Management of premix production for food-producing livestock within Trouw Nutrition Ireland.
Were there any essential qualifications or experience needed?
Essential qualifications for a career in Quality Assurance & Control are HACCP and Food Hygiene. Gaining experience and knowledge of animal medicines, technical and chemistry analytical skills and Regulatory Compliance is essential, especially in the animal feed supplements sector or similar.
Are there alternative routes into the job?
Yes, for example within Trouw Nutrition we mentor, train, develop and promote our capable talent internally. We host regular student placements which provide learning and experience within specific roles in Trouw Nutrition. Experience in quality roles in the food industry or pharma helps people to gain good transferable skills too.
What are the main personal skills your job requires?
Progressive, dynamic leadership. To me and Trouw Nutrition’s parent group (Nutreco) this means having values – to deliver exceptional outputs, respect others, act with integrity, trust colleagues and push boundaries to shape our future.
What does a typical day entail?
I’m an early riser, so I start my day at 6am to walk my dogs followed by my commute from the North Coast to Belfast. Every day is different, but it can consist of operations and customer service meetings with production staff, risk management inspections of products and equipment to leadership team meetings. My role involves a lot of travel, so I could be in the Netherlands to meet Trouw Global team members one day and back in Belfast the next. I love this aspect of my role as travel is critical to best practice sharing.
What are the best and most challenging aspects of the job?
It is a fast-paced environment that changes quickly, which can be challenging to keep up with, but this is also the best aspect of the role.
Why is what you do important?
I deliver Quality Leadership and promote a culture of transparency, trust, and drive for continuous improvement as the foundation for all our employees and our business – to achieve quality the first time. Achieving the best quality is critical to impact feed safety, animal health and performance.
What advice would you give anyone looking to follow a similar career path?
Never stop learning, be organised and be a team player.
If you weren’t doing this what would you like to do?
I would give back to my community by being a charity volunteer. Helping young people with mental health issues is needed in our communities. Trouw Nutrition Ireland is a charity partner with the mental health charity AWARE which has given me the opportunity to train to be a mental health first aider.
What is the one piece of advice you would give yourself on your first day?
Get as much experience as possible and enjoy the journey.
Describe your ideal day off.
Spending time with friends and family, cooking a great meal – I love Asian cuisine and enjoying the great outdoors with my dogs.
And finally, what’s the key to any successful job search?
Having the right strategy is key to getting the job you want. Plan ahead with a clear and concise CV tailored to the role.
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