1M1C – November 2024: Marion Plissonneau, Head of QHSE at the Vitrolles site

As we move into winter, we’d like to introduce you to Marion Plissonneau, Head of QHSE at the Vitrolles site. 

As the holder of a BA and a Masters in QSE, which included working at Charles & Alice’s Quality control department until 2019, Marion was able to put the skills she learnt during this sandwich course to good use in her first professional role as Head of QSE in a baked goods factory in Gémenos. 

In this factory, she was in charge of all aspects of quality control: dealing with customer requests, specifications/technical data sheets, complaints, suppliers and site inspections. This four-year-long experience enabled her to obtain a wide-ranging perspective of various aspects of quality control. She then decided to take up new challenges, which involved her joining Crusta C in June 2024. 

Enjoy!

How would you describe your typical working day?

It’s unusual to have two days alike. In the field of quality control, there are always snags, big or small – even more so in the highly-perishable foods sector. The working day revolves around meetings between the quality control team and the managerial team, inspection rounds, dealing with unexpected issues and managing core business activities. 

What projects are you currently working on?

At the moment, I’m working on auditing certification processes and getting ready for Christmas. I was warned that Christmas is the busiest period of the year and that it’s going to be pretty intense! I don’t know if I should be looking forward to this or not! 

In a few words, describe your role to us.

Guiding, Communicating and Managing: 

• Guiding: we have to explain good practices to our teams at every stage as they relate to hygiene and the manufacturing process – and guide them through them, helping them acquire a quality-focused culture. 
• Communicating/discussing: it’s vital to ensure the entire team is on the same page. Even if we don’t always agree (thankfully so, it would be very boring otherwise), we need to be listening to alternatives and suggestions to move forward. 
• Managing: managing everyday risks and various projects. 

What are the key challenges or goals you have at work?

Successfully keeping an effective quality control system going whilst complying with various regulations and satisfying customer requirements. 

If you could choose anyone at all to be your mentor, who would it be? 

It would be Carole Trives (Head of Quality Control at Charles & Alice), who was my manager for a little over three years during my training. She was the person who really showed me what quality control is like and who passed on her know-how to me. She is someone who manages to get on top of any situation whilst remaining calm. For her, a crisis is an opportunity. 

It’s an expression that I try to always keep uppermost in my mind, and which helps me to make the most of every situation. It’s still my trump card when things look uncertain. 

What do you like best about your work? 

What I like best about my work is the variety - from on-the-ground issues to office-based tasks. It’s very interesting to see mass-production at work in different factories. Working in partnership with other support services is also very educational and helps me to gain a better grasp of different fields. 

Which professional achievement are you most proud of? 

Always listen carefully to the people you work with and don’t forget to ask questions! 

Everyone has something to teach us. 

Above all, be sure to go onto the factory floor to get a better understanding of and familiarity with the manufacturing processes that lie at the heart of our production sites and our jobs (product tasting is also part of our work and I have to confess that it’s not an onerous task!). 

Give us a reason why someone should come to work for Crusta C? 

The mushroom foraging season is here! Fry up a panful of mushrooms (penny buns, button mushrooms, girolles) together with some potatoes in some olive oil, a little garlic and parsley and add a few prawns at the last moment, just enough to sear them. It’s a real autumnal treat!

November’s question is: winter is fast approaching and we all want to keep the cold out. Which hot seafood dish would you recommend we try?

The mushroom foraging season is here! Fry up a panful of mushrooms (penny buns, button mushrooms, girolles) together with some potatoes in some olive oil, a little garlic and parsley and add a few prawns at the last moment, just enough to sear them. It’s a real autumnal treat!

We’d like to thank Marion for agreeing to take part in our November interview! 

If you would like to read more interviews, take a look at our blog. 

If you would like to join our team, feel free to check out our vacancies. If you’d like to send in a speculative application, just click here.