To introduce our new Leadership Essentials Programme and provide some context on current industry trends, we recently hosted a webinar with an impressive line-up of industry experts. 

Our panel of speakers came together to discuss the concept of leadership in a Product Safety context. This included the gaps in leadership, management and professional skills within the industry, why the gaps exist, the impact on organisational capability and culture, and what we can do as individuals to close the skills gap to enhance leadership and management practices throughout the industry. 

Featuring a panel discussion with the following industry experts:

 

PROFESSOR BIZHAN POURKOMAILIAN
GLOBAL DIRECTOR, RESTAURANT AND DISTRIBUTION FOOD SAFETY
MCDONALD’S CORPORATION

Bizhan joined McDonald’s Europe in January 2000 as Food Safety Manager overseeing food safety systems across the European supply chain from farm to front counter. Since 2015, his role has changed to Global Restaurant and Distribution Food Safety Director. Bizhan is responsible for establishing, maintaining and driving continuous improvement in food safety standards and procedures. He is on various advisory boards and committees with professional bodies and academia.

DR. JOHN SPINK, PHD
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, DEPARTMENT OF SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT (SCM)

ELI BROAD COLLEGE OF BUSINESS AT MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY (MSU)

John's SCM responsibilities include undergraduate teaching of “Introduction to Supply Chain Management” and “Introduction to Procurement.” Since 2019 his responsibilities include redesigning and teaching the introduction course that is required for all MSU business college undergraduate students across all business disciplines. His food fraud prevention research focus is on policy and strategy to understand and prevent these supply chain disruptions and to implement procurement best practices. He is widely published in leading academic journals and has helped lead national and global regulatory and standards activity.

JESSICA BURKE
DELIVERY PARTNERS RELATIONSHIP MANAGER
BRCGS

With over 18 years of experience, Jessica began her career in an environmental and food testing laboratory. She has held various roles in quality assurance and food safety in the food manufacturing industry, where she helped multiple companies strengthen their food safety systems and achieve GFSI certification. Jessica has held multiple roles within BRCGS, including Technical Specialist for the Gluten-Free Certification Program and Plant-Based Global Standard, and Senior Technical Manager for the Americas region. In her current position, her role is to support BRCGS Delivery Partners in delivering world class service, through collaboration, facilitation and building a strong partnership culture. 

DAVE BUFFHAM
LEADERSHIP AND TEAM DEVELOPMENT COACH  - MPI LEARNING

Dave has over 30 years’ experience in helping leaders and teams across the globe in their quest for High Performance. He has been working closely with BRCGS and the BRCGS Professional team to develop a tailored leadership development programme for Food Safety Professionals.

 

Watch the webinar recording for top tips from industry experts that can help you to enhance your career and build capability within your organisation.

 

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