Case Study 2

Nina Sparks

Nina was first attracted to UB by its excellent graduate training scheme and the opportunities that a large company with numerous operations could offer to develop her career.   

After graduating from Liverpool University with an engineering degree, Nina joined UB in 1995 and began two years of management training followed by a year of rotational training to cover various roles with a factory.

The training involved learning both operations and engineering functions across two manufacturing sites. In 1997 she moved to UB’s Harlesden site where her development included the management of biscuits manufacturing plants, project engineering and site engineering management.

A highlight of Nina’s career has been the creation of a £10 million Mini Cheddars production facility at UB’s Harlesden factory. This involved turning an existing warehouse into a food production area, the installation and design of both new and old equipment, the management of a large team and a number of very complicated installations under extremely tight timescales.

Nina says: “It is very rewarding to see projects that I have worked on the conception and design of installed in the factory making products at high speed. Seeing large scale projects through to completion is a great experience.”

Nina is now using the experience gained in the factories in her new role in the Procurement department at UB’s Head Office. She is the buyer for capital equipment in the UK. This is the equipment used to produce the biscuits and snacks in UB’s factories. Nina is responsible for ensuring the correct contracts are in place and the best prices are achieved.Continuous development is important to UB and as well as on the job training Nina was supported by the business when she was working towards becoming a Chartered Engineer. She is now studying to gain a CIPS qualification.

The company also provided the flexibility she needed to move into a part time role when she had children.

Nina concludes: “UB has provided me with many opportunities to develop my career. My aim for the future is that once I have developed my procurement experience I would like to move into a more senior management position.”