‘Persistence and hard work’
Leatherhead Food Research recently appointed Jenny Arthur in the newly created role of director of nutrition and innovation. Here, she predicts that health will become and remain mainstream in the food industry for the foreseeable future
Describe yourself in three words.
Creative, tenacious and approachable.
What’s your biggest professional achievement?
Every job brings its own achievements; it is not always the biggest that are the most rewarding.
How did you get to where you are today?
Through persistence and hard work.
What does a typical day look like for you?
Anything from client meetings, brainstorming project proposals, commenting on government consultation documents, developing nutrition and reformulation strategies or understanding the complexity of an ingredient, to making the tea!
What have been the highlights of your company’s history, in your opinion?
The high level of focus that I have seen on our clients and member engagement in the last couple of years, which has lead to the growth in the take up of our regulatory expertise and technical solutions. One recent highlight has to be the newly developed general screening tool for the speciation of any DNA-detectable adulterant in cooked, raw or processed foods.
What is your pet hate?
Being late.
Give us a positive prediction for the food industry over the next 12 months.
Health is going to become and remain mainstream for the foreseeable future.
What do you consider to be the most important attributes for a leader?
Empathy.
Who do you most admire?
No one person, but traits of lots of different people, most of whom are not well known.
Which people/organisations or companies are the ones to watch right now?
No comment as the majority of the work I do at Leatherhead is confidential.
Which words do you most overuse?
Basically.
If you weren’t in your current position, what else might you be doing?
Growing my own fruit and vegetables.
Tell us something about yourself that few people know.
I am ambidextrous.
Any vices?
Dairy Milk chocolate.
What single thing would most improve the quality of your life?
An extra day in the week.
How do you relax?
Spend time with my family.
How would you like to be remembered?
Fondly.
