“Our work truly is a collective effort”

Barbara has been working at Cefetra S.p.A. since 2014. “I had worked for another company in the same market since 2000. There, I started as a secretary and eventually went on to work in domestic execution. It’s the kind of job where you never get bored. I still find it exciting.”

At Cefetra, Barbara continued working in execution. But she also worked as a quality manager for a couple of years. “I had to learn everything from zero, so I was proud I could make it work. Now, combining domestic and international execution, it’s nice to have a complete understanding of what’s going on in the company.”

“The international part is most busy in the afternoons. In the mornings I go through emails on both domestic and international executions. I get in touch with colleagues to see if there are any problems or delays, and how we can solve them. There is always something changing. It can be stressful sometimes, but it’s nice when you get your result.”

There is a strong willingness to work together, Barbara says. “I enjoy teamwork at Cefetra. Here, but also internationally. We get great support from the office in Rotterdam. And we are in touch with the office in Spain because we charter vessels for their execution. Right now, my colleague in charge of Quality is collaborating with his direct colleagues across Europe to work the same way everywhere. There are good relationships within Cefetra Group. It really is a collective effort.”

This can also be seen in the synergy between the departments. “We strive to get better together. We have a weekly meeting together to go through all the steps, from the origin of our ingredients to the domestic markets, to see what we can improve. It’s not about who makes mistakes, it’s about learning from them.” She smiles. “I have learned a lot from my own mistakes and now I use that when I train new colleagues.”

Do Cefetra’s sustainability ambitions influence Barbara’s work? “Sustainability concerns everybody. We must make big changes. It’s interesting to see how the market translates this into action. Everyone is learning. I already see that younger colleagues have a different approach. We should follow their example.”

Barbara recommends keeping an open mind. In terms of sustainability, but also at work in general. “We should be open to each other’s vision. There is no doing this job entirely on your own. That’s an old-fashioned approach. We work together across Europe. That’s how we make things happen.”