Employee Profile
Name: Patrizia T.
Title: Quality Director – Food Safety Quality and Regulatory
Career Area:
Engineering & Operations
Location: Castelmassa, Italy
Education: University Degree Biology
“I find it rewarding that I can contribute to the success of Cargill, and the efforts to improve my job are recognized.”
What I like and need to bear in mind on every workday is Cargill Code of Conduct as explained in the Guiding Principles. The 7 points and policies are described in simple words but in reality each of it has a big impact on the way we conduct our daily jobs…with integrity and respect for the law and people.
Describe your work responsibilities and the importance of your role.
My main responsibility is to manage Food Safety and Quality by implementing the Cargill Food Safety policy. The ultimate goal is to assure the products we produce are of high quality standards and safe for the different markets we serve: food and feed. My goal and my role is: “Safe Food, Every time, Everywhere”.
Describe your day-to-day activities and the skills needed to perform well.
The main daily activities are:
- Checking the customer incidents received at locations and review with my team actions in order to avoid the repetition, ensuring a timeliness feed back to the customer.
- Stay connected with my Team to ensure the agreed priorities set up in our Business Plan are on track.
- Stay connected with Global Food Safety Quality and Regulatory (FSQR) Team to work together in order to be more efficient and present Cargill to our customers as a global voice.
- Skills needed to do my work well are: set up clear priorities, provide leadership and motivation to engage my Team to drive to results always in a play to win mode.
Describe your career path. Where did you start and how did you get to where you are today?
I started working as a microbiologist in a private hospital, and after some years I decided to move to an emerging working environment at that time: food microbiology. I spent some months in an international laboratory in Germany working for a third party and in 1989 I started to build up a twin lab nearby Bologna. In 1991 I applied for a research job as a micro specialist and was hired by Cerestar, again to build up the micro lab and product controls. I took the Quality Assurance responsibility in 1996. I joined Cargill through the Cerestar acquisition in 2002. I have developed my expertise in polyols and dextrose by being the EU Quality tag for Cargill Health and Nutrition (CHN). I spend part of my time in R&D for polyols and dextrose, aligning the team across EU and have spent several years in developing the pharma quality standard for Starches and Sweeteners Europe (SSE) and Cargill Texturizing Solutions (CTS). In 2013 I became the Regional FSQR Lead, and last July 14 I’ve been nominated as the FSQR Director for SSE.
What do you find most rewarding about your work?
To be part of a global team, I can contribute to the success of Cargill and the efforts to improve my job are recognized. Is also important to have the opportunity to broaden my view by networking with colleagues in other geographies and customers.
Why did you choose to join Cargill and what keeps you here? In other words, how has a career at Cargill helped you to thrive?
To be part of a global company like Cargill, I have the opportunity to challenge myself everyday. Continuous improvement is leading my job, and experiencing diversity always gives me an opportunity to see things in a different perspective. Treating people with respect is also a value I appreciate in the company.
What advice would you give someone interested in a career at Cargill like yours?
Work hard, don’t be afraid to taking responsibility, always confront your colleagues, be open to the outside environment, listen to the customers needs, and keep a positive attitude toward changes.
Share an interesting tidbit about yourself such as hobbies, volunteerism, favorite foods or activities, accomplishments inside or outside of work.
Even if time is quite limited, I still once a week meet a small group of friends to experiment with new cooking recipes; at the end of the work we taste, rank, take pictures of the dish of the week and are collecting in a photo book. One day it will be part of the menu selection of “our” 6 tables restaurant.