Shaun Allen Category Purchasing Manager

I started my working life in the meat industry before moving into the automotive industry where I worked for 5 years. I have now worked in purchasing for over 12 years. 

I joined Geest Tilbrook in 1999 as a stock controller. The business was still relatively new, growing very quickly within the ready meals sector and was in an exciting period, with lots of potential to develop and grow with the business. Whilst at Tilbrook I was promoted to Buyer and then Purchasing Manager. I then joined Saxon valley Foods in 2003 as Purchasing Manager before being selected as a Category Purchasing Manager in 2004. 

I have a the dual role being part of the business management team at Saxon Valley Foods as well as managing the meat and poultry category for the group and enjoy working with people from all functions within different businesses across the Group. No two days are the same, one day you can be managing a change or issue in a business and the next day you can be working on a strategic supply plan. 

Delivering genuine value to the businesses is rewarding as well as the teamwork involved in working with different people across the group, and having the opportunity to experience managing a wide range of categories from processed tomatoes to injection moulded Packaging.

To be in purchasing you must be adept at multi-tasking! You must also be able to prioritise as things can change so quickly in the food industry that your priorities change even quicker and be good at solving problems. We face numerous and varied challenges every day which need to be solved quickly as the chilled food industry works in hours rather than days and weeks. You must also be able to lead and manage – a purchasing manager can bring the opportunities to the businesses, but it is the business team itself needs to deliver the opportunity. 

As the Group has continued to grow, Category Purchasing has continued to evolve which has allowed us to use the synergies we have across the Group to deliver more value to the business units and our customers.