Graduate Profiles
Catherine Smith
Quality Manager
Containers, Europe
About Me
The opportunity for me to join CHEP came very much by chance. This was my first job after university, therefore my experience in this industry was non existent. My first role was as a Plant Quality Assurance Leader at the Pontefract Service Centre in West Yorkshire. I was particularly impressed by the CHEP recruiters when I first met them. The professionalism was higher than in previous interviews I had experienced. It was clear there were many opportunities for progression.
I grew up in Middlesbrough and now live in Leeds, where I attended University. After graduating from the University of Leeds with an honours degree in Biology, I commenced my job search. I had always been interested in quality assurance and through my search identified that CHEP had an opening in that area and I jumped at the opportunity.
In my first year of employment I achieved certification as a Six Sigma Green Belt and am now in the last phase of Black Belt certification. This allows me to lead high-level projects in CHEP’s Six Sigma-based approach to continuous improvement known as Perfect Trip. After two years as a Plant Quality Assurance Leader I moved to the business unit for reusable containers where I am the Quality Manager for the whole of Europe.
Working Life
As part of the Containers management team, I lead improvement initiatives for containers product and service excellence. This includes Automotive boxes, Reusable Plastic Containers (RPC), and the Intermediate Bulk Containers (IBC) divisions. I work in most countries across Europe and facilitate the improvement of standards and drive best practice sharing. Perfect Trip is an integral part of the improvement approach. We are building on this continuous improvement to create a quality culture and to drive exceptional service. It's a very exciting time to be working at CHEP.
There are always opportunities for development and improvement. My advice to graduates considering a career within the company would be that CHEP has the breadth and depth of opportunities needed for accelerated personal development. CHEP’s fast pace means there is something new to focus on every few months, you are always advancing.