Great partners in knowledge
Laura Bishop and Lucie Nield are great examples of Knowledge Transfer Partnerships, a government-backed initiative, bringing industry and the academic world together.
Laura used her experience to bring strategic thinking to the heart of family run Darlington meat and poultry wholesaler Country Valley Foods when she was working as its marketing manager.
In less than two years, the Teesside Marketing graduate from County Durham helped the company win £45,000 from the English Beef and Lamb Executive to launch a new regionally produced beef brand called Grand Reserve
She also created a new marketing strategy for the firm with her former tutor, Terry Robinson, Reader in Marketing at Teesside University Business School. He spends half-a-day per week advising the company through the Knowledge Transfer Partnerships scheme.
Just over 50 miles to the south, Lucie Nield, a Food Science graduate, has provided similar support for Wakefield-based Zeina Foods, the company set up 20 years ago by Safaa Ali to import and roast pistachio nuts. Until a few years ago, it sold most of its products in bulk to other companies, but now it is creating its own brands with Lucie's help.
Both women were appointed to their positions through a KTP scheme run with the University and supported by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). For Laura, it was a chance to take on a senior role after graduating with a BA (Hons) in Marketing and a Masters in Management from Teesside University Business School.
Laura's success while working at Country Valley led to her winning a national Business Leader of Tomorrow award from the DTI, presented by then Secretary of State Alan Johnson. She was one of six winners and the only one from the north of England - out of 1,000 entries nationally.
She said: ‘I was the first graduate they had ever taken on and it was quite brave of them to give me so much responsibility. I was new to the food industry and to get the national award, which included a trip to Vancouver with the five other winners, was fantastic.'
Stewart Munro, Company Founding Managing Director and Chairman, said: 'Without the KTP, we probably would never have recruited Laura nor had the back up from the University to develop and implement the new marketing plan. We now realise how much we really needed someone who could take a longer term view of where we were going and do some strategic thinking. It has been a huge success.'
