Kev O'Shea

About you

My journey in food safety began in the mid 90s in the hospitality industry. I spent around ten years working across hotels, bars, restaurants, and kitchens in both the Channel Islands and London. This hands on experience with food preparation and service shaped my understanding of what safe, high quality food delivery means from an operational perspective.

After transitioning out of hospitality, I built a long career in logistics. Food safety re entered my professional life in 2023 when I joined the Central Quality Assurance team at DHL Supply Chain. Moving into quality felt like a natural progression, even if it came with a significant learning curve. Today, I am the Senior Quality & Regulatory Assurance Manager for DHL UK within the Consumer & Convenience sector. I hold governance responsibilities across multiple sites nationwide and have the privilege of leading a talented and dedicated technical quality team.

This role introduced me to BRCGS standards, and it quickly became clear that they provide the foundation for how I want to work and contribute. My formal education prior to 2023 wasn’t my strongest talking point—I left school early to start work—but I recently achieved a Distinction in the Level 4 Quality Practitioner Apprenticeship. The rest of my learning has come through experience and managing people since my late teens.

Outside of work, I’m a very proud family man with two grown up children and two rescue dogs we adopted six years ago. Family time means everything to me, and now that the kids are older, my wife and I take every opportunity to travel. We’ve already planned a grand tour of China for 2027—and yes, it’s absolutely centred around the food.

Why did you join the BRCGS Professional Programme?

I joined the BRCGS Professional Programme because I recognised its value both personally and professionally. Achieving this milestone validates my career decisions and supports my commitment to continual improvement. Professionally, the BRCGS Professional status adds credibility in customer conversations and aligns strongly with the standards expected across our sector. Ultimately, I joined because I genuinely believe in the value of BRCGS and the critical role it plays in maintaining the highest levels of food safety. Seeing my name in the professional directory is an extremely rewarding outcome.

What value do you personally feel the BRCGS Professional certification brings to you?

The certification validates my capability and my commitment to continuous improvement in food safety and quality. It reinforces my passion for what I do and confirms that I’m progressing in the right direction—even if this chapter of my career started slightly later than expected. The wider BRCGS community has also helped me build valuable professional connections across different sectors, which has been a bonus.

How has the training helped improve operations at your site/company?

The BRCGS training I’ve undertaken—and continue to undertake—has had a significant impact on how we work within DHL. As one of several newly qualified BRCGS Professionals in the business, I believe we can now clearly demonstrate enhanced value to both the organisation and our customers, especially where BRCGS certification is a contractual requirement. It has also encouraged others within our quality community to pursue the programme themselves, creating a stronger and more knowledgeable team.

What did you most enjoy about the training?

The training has been highly engaging, informative, and practical. While I didn’t learn all-new skills, I learned how to use existing skills more effectively and with greater purpose. My understanding of BRCGS has noticeably improved, and this is evident in the site audits I support across DHL. I’ve also incorporated elements of the training into the internal sessions I deliver for site teams, amplifying its impact.

What are you most looking forward to within the Professional community?

I’m looking forward to expanding my network within the community, staying up to date with changes, and learning from others. We talk a lot about sharing best practice in business, and I genuinely believe the BRCGS Professional community can elevate that principle to a new level.

How do you plan to keep your skills up to date?

I believe we owe it to ourselves to keep learning and growing. Being part of the BRCGS Professional community supports that through access to additional training and micro learning opportunities. Alongside this, I continue to develop on the job through formal training and by learning from the highly skilled technical experts I work with. The points based system is a great motivator and helps track progress over time.

What are your career ambitions/aims?

I’ve always been driven to grow and progress. Finding my place in food safety and quality has confirmed that this is the right path for me, and my background in hospitality and management complements that perfectly. While I still have a lot to achieve in my current role, I remain hungry to develop further. Perhaps in a few years I’ll have a clearer answer— after all, the journey never truly ends.