I've been based at the Coca-Cola Enterprises plant at Wakefield, just off J41 M1 since the end of 1988.

I started in industry back in 1972 when, after leaving college in Grimsby, I took a summer job at the Goldhanger Fruit Farms factory in Montrose, Angus. Little did I realise that this was part of Cadbury-Schweppes Ltd & was to become my life for nearly 13 years. After gaining experience in Quality & then Production shift management, I then moved to the East Kilbride soft drinks plant as Shift manager. It was during my time at EK that Cadbury-Schweppes and The Coca-Cola Company formed a joint venture in GB known as Coca-Cola & Schweppes Beverages Ltd (CCSB). Nearly 4 years later, it was time to move on again & I was appointed Shift manager at the new Wakefield site in late 1988.

I spent 4 years in this role until late '92 when the job of shift manager was taken out of the management structure. Nearly a year was spent as Service Manager, responsible for the 3 hi-speed canning lines before I was asked to take over as Technical Training Manager. Thus began my career change to the area of training & development. One of the major successes in this role was the achievement of Investors in People accreditation in 7 months.

In 1997, CCSB was bought over by Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc, a relatively young business which started in the US in the mid-eighties.

In 1998, I was given the role of Training Manager, Manufacturing whilst still being based in Wakefield - this was to give me responsibility of developing training strategy across the 6 manufacturing sites in Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE)

Autumn 2001 saw my job role change yet again as I took on the role of Operations Development Manager, looking after young people development in CCE Operations. There are currently 60 young people on the in-house SkillStart programme as well as 27 engineering Modern apprentices.