Meet the Team: Laura Palmer-Hukins
Laura joined ISF in 2021 as our part-time Quality Manager. She came from luxury retail and business insurance, and she had never set foot in a feed mill. Five years on, she oversees our quality system and internal audits, runs our training, supports our marketing, and has started learning the finance side of the business.
We caught up with Laura to find out how she made the move, what she would tell her first-day self, and what keeps her busy outside work.
You came to ISF from a very different background, retail and insurance rather than engineering. How did you transition into feed mill engineering?
Believe it or not, I think I had many transferable skills to help me get started, even though I was in a completely different industry. Working in luxury retail meant I was used to very high standards, had an eye for quality and was extremely results-driven. Working in business insurance gave me insight into what happens behind the scenes, and my managerial experience put me in good stead.
Looking back, what would you say to yourself on your first day at ISF?
I would tell myself to have a little more confidence and believe in my abilities. I definitely struggled with imposter syndrome in the early days because my background was so different.
How has your role changed since you started as Quality Manager in 2021?
I started in a part-time role overseeing the Quality Management System (QMS), while still learning ISO principles and outsourcing our internal audits. I went on to complete a training course in ISO systems and internal auditing, and quickly found that the analytical nature of the system and its processes suited my personality well.
Over time, I have increased my hours as my workload has increased. I still oversee the QMS, but now I have more input, including completing internal audits and organising training. I have also taken responsibility for other areas of the business, such as working with our external marketing support to improve this area, and more recently I have begun learning the finance side of the business.
What’s something you’ve changed or improved at ISF that you’re proud of?
I’m always proud of the feedback we get from our external ISO 9001 audits. That’s about the team as a whole, not me, but over the last few years the auditor has consistently noted that ISO 9001 is naturally embedded in the day-to-day running of the business, and it’s good to have that recognition.
What’s kept you at ISF, and what do you enjoy most about the job now?
I’m always busy. There’s no time for clock-watching here! I enjoy the variety and the feeling that I’m making a difference for the business.
What keeps you busy outside of work?
I have two children with extracurricular activities every day, including gymnastics, stage school, swimming, music and sports. They have extremely busy social lives too! They definitely keep me busy, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.