BRCGS Connect offered an invaluable opportunity to reconnect with long-standing colleagues and build new relationships. It also provided the perfect stage to recognise and celebrate peers whose outstanding commitment, expertise, and impact continue to drive BRCGS certification forward and champion food safety across the industry.

We’re proud to announce this year’s award winners for the Americas and neighbouring regions, and we invite you to join us in celebrating their remarkable achievements.

 

Approved Training Partner of the year

Dr. Jennylynd James

"I am deeply honored to receive the 2025 ATP Food Safety Trainer of the Year Award (Americas).

This recognition means the world to me—not only as a personal milestone, but as a reflection of the collective commitment we all share to advancing food safety standards across the industry.

Being part of the BRCGS Approved Training Partner community has been a privilege. The opportunity to educate, inspire, and support professionals in their pursuit of excellence is what drives me every day. I’m grateful for the trust placed in me by my peers, trainees, and the organizations I’ve had the pleasure to work with.

To the BRCGS team, thank you for your continued support, resources, and dedication to raising the bar in global food safety."

In the BRCGS Approved Training Partner of the Year category, we are also pleased to recognise the following shortlisted nominees: Rehab Youssef Abd Elkader, Lindsey Bowen, and Retha Wareham.

BRCGS Auditor of the year                                                                                                                                                                                                           

Melissa Trezza, Mérieux NutriSciences                                                                               

In the BRCGS Auditor of the Year category, we are also pleased to recognise the following shortlisted nominees: Patricia Anne McMullin, Michaelle Hargrove, and Ahmed Al-Safi.                                                                                                                             

 

BRCGS Professional of the year

Kamanie Sitaram

"

It’s truly an honor to be awarded the BRCGS Professional of the Year for North America. It’s a moment that lands softly and loudly at the same time.

Softly, because the first feeling is humility. You think of the people behind every audit checklist, every verification, every “let’s fix this before the next run.” Loudly, because the recognition echoes through the facilities, the supplier calls and audits, the customer audits, the BRCGS audits and being Audit Ready 365 stopped being a date on a calendar and became a daily habit.

Winning BRCGS Professional of the Year is less about a trophy on a shelf and more about a mirror held up to a journey. You see long nights turning risk assessments into action, CAPAs that actually close gaps (not just files), and training sessions where a standard becomes second nature. I remembered the first time I explained why a control mattered, then watched someone else explain it even better the next week. That’s the magic: the knowledge didn’t stop with me; it multiplied. And that’s exactly what Audit Ready 365 looks like in practice, clarity, constancy, and shared ownership, every shift and every line.

There’s a wave of gratitude, too. Gratitude for the operators who raise their hands when something doesn’t look right. For the QA pros who count, trend, and question, day after day. For mentors who challenged you to lead not by pointing at the standard, but by building systems where the right thing is the easy thing. And for teammates who turned micro wins, clean swabs, tighter traceability, sharper specifications, into macro outcomes: safer products, stronger audits, and a culture that doesn’t flinch under scrutiny.

The award also feels like permission, permission to aim higher. To keep sharing, teaching, and learning across sites and disciplines. To transform “compliance” into curiosity: What else can we improve? Where can we simplify without compromising? How do we make the next person’s job clearer and safer?

If you’re in food safety and quality, you know: success is collective. It’s the tech who catches a deviation at 5:30 a.m., the line lead who spots a label mismatch, the scheduler who flags an unusual lot movement, the sanitation team whose invisible work prevents visible problems. You accept this award on behalf of all of them, because standards are lived by teams.

So what does it feel like? It feels like pride without comfort. Like momentum. Like the calm after an audit, and the buzz of the next one on the horizon. It feels like standing in the stream of a profession that saves people from harm every single day, often quietly, often unnoticed. And it feels like a promise: to keep leading with integrity, to keep learning, and to keep making product safety everyone’s business.

I am deeply grateful to my colleagues and mentors at FGF and the partners who champion food safety with us. To my family, especially my daughter, your belief means everything. Let’s keep moving forward, safer, smarter, together."

For the BRCGS Professional of the Year category, the following nominees have been shortlisted: Melissa Dass-Gleason, Jimena Calfa, and Parag Keskar.

 

Certificated site of the year

Charter Next Generation

“Winning this award is truly a pinnacle moment in my career, something you dream about achieving one day. It feels like winning the Superbowl after years of honing our processes, implementing new requirements, developing meticulous plans, and continually adjusting as we identified opportunities for improvement.


But this is not something you can do alone. Success requires a solid plan, an engaged team, and the commitment to win more than you lose. At CNG, our people have been at the heart of this journey. My team has been instrumental in coaching and promoting product safety awareness, guiding and supporting the sites every step of the way. The Quality Managers are our quarterbacks who have led with skill, ensuring plans were implemented and adjustments made to uphold our high standards and exceed customer expectations.


This achievement is a testament to the hard work, resilience, and unwavering commitment of every member across all CNG sites. Together, we have proven what can be accomplished when we act as one team.


To me, this award speaks volumes about the culture we are building and the path we are on. It is not only recognition of an accolade, but also of the journey, the dedication, and the ownership shown by our workforce. What makes this recognition so meaningful is knowing that our people, our products, and our processes are held in such high regard by our customers. Their trust and appreciation are the ultimate validation of the hard work we put in every single day.


I could not be prouder of what we have achieved together, and this award belongs to every one of us.”

For the Certificated Site of the Year category, the following organisations have been shortlisted: Trident Seafoods, Unilever, Martin Brower, and Sargento Foods.

Certification body of the year

NSF

"We’re honored by this recognition, which reflects the commitment and skill our teams bring to every engagement. Together with BRCGS, we’re driving progress and raising standards across the industry." Suzanne Barkley, Senior Director of Food Production at NSF.

"This award is more than a title, it represents the confidence our clients have in NSF’s expertise. We’re proud to collaborate with BRCGS and grateful for this acknowledgment of our commitment to excellence." Emily Varnon, Technical Scheme Lead for Food Production.

Learn more about NSF and their commitment to excellence, integrity on nsf.org.

For the BRCGS Certification Body of the Year category, the following organisations have been shortlisted: QIMA WQS and Perry Johnson Registrars Food Safety, Inc. (PJRFSI).

CEO Award                                                                                                

Suzanne Finstad,  Tyson Foods, Inc.     

I am incredibly humbled to receive the CEO Award. When I look back on how far the BRCGS has come in expanding the reach of the Food Standard in the North American market and beyond, I am proud of the collective progress made and honored to be recognized as part of the story.                                                                                                 

 

BRCGS Champion award                                                                                               

Luis Saucedo, Trust Guardians                                                                                                           

"Thank you. To the BRCGS team and the awards committee, I am truly humbled and deeply honoured to accept the 2025 BRCGS Champion award (Americas).

This award marks a journey of 25 years in an industry I love, including 17 years as a proud BRCGS Approved Training Partner (ATP). And throughout that journey, one core belief has guided every decision: that our most valuable asset, the one thing we must protect above all else, is Trust.

The award citation speaks of 'fostering a culture of continuous improvement and integrity.' For me, that culture begins when we commit to the simple philosophy that 'doing the right thing is the only way to not get it wrong.' This is the principle that has allowed us to help our clients succeed, grow, and achieve remarkable results. Their success is the greatest reward.

This honour doesn't belong to me alone. It belongs to every organization that has partnered with Trust Guardians, and to the growing network of BRCGS Professionals we have had the privilege to train—the dedicated Guardians who uphold these standards every single day. You are the ones who turn the BRCGS ethos into reality.

To my fellow professionals, I offer this encouragement: Continue to lead with passion. Continue your mentorship. And continue to be a champion in everything you do. Together, we are not just ensuring compliance; we are building a safer, more resilient, and more trusted global supply chain.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart."