My Background
I was born in Hamilton, Scotland and had been part of a Scottish highland Dance School and always wanted to be a dancer or teacher of dance however back in 1982 there was not a lot of work around. I joined college after leaving school to study Business & Secretarial course followed by a youth training scheme for a year. I went to Blackpool and worked in the Winter Gardens and the Ballroom and other roles in hotels and so on for a year. I then got a role as a Sales Advisor based in Luton and it was here that I began to thrive in my first year I became Sales Team Leader for an Insurance company. I have had so many Sales Roles from selling Fire & Security Equipment, Aggregate & Concrete products, Insurance, and so on closing sales became natural to me. I always fell into a Sales Role one way or another. I then took a role as Manager for Ladbroke Racing in 1993 for the next 7 years and once nominated for betting shop manager of the year. This was in the days where we had to calculate a lot of numbers in our head. I knew I wanted to achieve something academic in my life and now having 2 young children. In 1999 I applied to university where I joined an Undergraduate Degree Course in Government Policy & Management. I also had a weekend job at an Army Camp in Melton Mowbray where I was the Officers Assistant. A now famous singer James Blunt was regular at the camp as he was an officer at that time. 
In my final year I located back to Scotland where I finished my degree and graduated in 2002. The next few years I worked in various roles one as a caseworker in the Job Centre.
Mark and I had opened a large store in Cheltenham which also had a wedding department, so dealing with all the suppliers, and buying products for the business required a lot of time research which I love to do. We did this for several years but as we had worked so hard previously in our careers this was becoming 7 days a week. Mark was always being head hunted and decided to accept a role and again we would relocate back to Southport.

How I got into Canning?
 I was a civil servant in the home office, and my role was a caseworker for the General register Office. My role dealt with corrections in Births & Deaths. I also supported the local registrars. My husband had suggested many times how I could add value to Unimaq but at that time I was a little reluctant. When the opportunity came to acquire the business, it was perfect timing as the GRO had plans to relocate in the next few years.  

Why Unimaq
Firstly, my husband was the CEO and I knew he would make a huge difference to the company as he has over 30years of and having had Purchasing experience under my belt and many years in sales I am able to use these skills in dealing with our suppliers this comes to me naturally. I am not afraid to ask the difficult questions and negotiate at the correct level.   

Career highlights  
I took a decision to leave a secure position to study a degree and work weekends. I am proud that in those years of study I never missed a class, it taught me some great skills, and I have built a good resilience and learned to adapt to change if required. Having completed that and hold down a weekend role and no family close by has made me a very strong person. I am proud that in all my roles in Sales I have received recognition as top salesperson and team leader which came with personal awards. 

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How I see the 2-piece industry
I have never worked in a manufacturing environment before and respect the technical expertise of those in the industry. Gradually I am beginning to become familiar with some of the parts however always appreciate when these are explained to me what they do and where these are being used. I can see already like other industries as innovative ideas evolve so does people’s requirements and this will have an impact on what industries may be required to change to support these requirements and they do so in the best way possible amidst the global changes that can happen as we have seen in the past few years that they can stand the test.
I can feel the changes already as here at Unimaq we are getting busier as all our customers whom we support.

Away from work life        
My husband and my children are my life although they are grown up (including my husband) now and having successful careers of their own, I see them as much as I can but it’s never enough when we all live in different areas.  I have always been fascinated with all the beautiful estates we have in the UK and love to visit the gardens with my husband. I do enjoy growing my own plants, flowers, and past couple of years to go on cruises, been able to visit a handful of countries is a great way to travel. I also enjoy baking and have tried pottery which I enjoyed so need to find time to do more of this.