What was your first job? Lifeguard at a swimming pool. Give us a quick run-down on your career to date. I started at Kraft where I held various marketing and commercial roles. I then moved to Ferrero at senior brand manager level where I spent six years. In 2007 I took up my current position as marketing manager for Hain Celestial. How did you get to where you are today? Creative flair and good old-fashioned hard graft. Have you ever worked outside the grocery industry? I spent a placement year with InterCity doing destination marketing. Who do you most admire in the grocery industry? Entrepreneurs, especially those with small businesses who gain listings in the majors. Do you have a mentor? I look to my boss and encourage feedback to learn the subtler elements necessary for progression within this industry. What is the most important piece of information you have been told? "I'm pregnant" - it was my wife that shared this with me, not my boss! If you could change one thing in the grocery industry what would it be? Get some freezers alongside fridges nearer the front of stores, to allow consumers to make their meal choices without a trek to the frozen aisle. What is the most rewarding part of your job? Seeing an idea you've worked on come to market and succeed. Do you think you'll always work in grocery? I'm still very passionate about food, so as long as there are always fresh challenges I think I'll remain. What advice would you give to someone starting out in the industry today? Be passionate about what you do, or you might as well not bother! What do you like doing when you are not working? Photography, mountain biking and windsurfing. Or, to be honest, currently none of the above - more playing with my six-month-old daughter. How many hours do you work a week? Too many, but the incentive to see my daughter before she goes to bed helps. Are you good at managing work/life balance? Not good enough, I do try to keep the weekends work-free though. Where do you hope to be in five years time? Marketing director.