Our Future Leaders

Our future leaders

Let's hear from our recent future leaders about why they chose Berry bpi, their experience on our programme, what they're doing now and their advice for you.

Bruno Daniel - Graduate 2021

Why did you choose the Berry bpi graduate programme?

I chose the Berry bpi graduate programme due to the company's dedication to sustainability and the oppotunity to gain exposure to different business functions.  As a graduate with an interest in recyclability and innovation I wanted as much experience of being in the forefront of recycling technology 

Tell me about your experience so far? What have your rotations been like?

I have had the opportunity to work in several departments -  ranging from operations to technical.  I have gained a deep understanding of how these departments are integrated and how "smaller" departments working together, have an influence on the overall business.  Each rotation has demanded a different skill from me or led me to develop new skills for the role.

What’s been the most innovative/exciting thing you have done or worked on so far?

I worked on several projects within the SUSTANE product range, assisting in quality control and staying competitive in the market.  The projects allowed me to use my research skills to find relevant and appropriate technology to help maintain our competitive edge in the industry.  It was exciting to see how these changes affected the life cycle of products from the factory to customers.

What are you doing now? Are you still in the programme or have you moved onto a role in the business?

I am currently doing an operations based rotation in Greenock, primarily focusing on the implementation of WaveGrip machinery and developing lean production methodologies.

What’s your best advice for new graduates?

Be open to challenges and view them as learning opportnities. 

Always be ready to help and use your skills when you see it as beneficial not waiting fo the optimal moment.

Make sure to learn from everybody around you, there is a lot of experience ready to be shared

Stephen Gallagher - Graduate 2019

 Why did you choose the Berry bpi graduate programme?

The Berry bpi graduate programme offered the chance to work in an interesting and diverse sector of industry, and to gain experience working across a variety of different departments to enhance my overall development whilst making a real impact on the business. The graduate workshops provide a great platform to expand your network and focus on personal development.

Tell me about your experience so far? What have your rotations been like?

The graduate programme has been a great experience so far. I have enjoyed a wide variety of rotations and been allowed to make key contributions and take on my own responsibilities at each one.

What’s been the most innovative/exciting thing you have done or worked on so far?

I am currently working on how to equip my site to handle upcoming plastic tax. This has been an interesting challenge to create access to recycled content within all areas of the site.

What are you doing now? Are you still in the programme or have you moved onto a role in the business?

I am still on the programme, with about 4 months left.

What’s your best advice for new graduates?

I would suggest to any new graduates that they share their ideas and contribute as much as possible in all their rotations. The more you can involve yourself in the work you’re doing the more you will get out of it.

James Walker - Graduate 2019

Why Did you Chose the Berry bpi Graduate Programme?

I chose the Berry bpi programme because it offered a lot of variation and opportunity to experience in different departments within bpi. In addition, Berry bpi’s position and attitude towards sustainability, particularly within bpi recycled products where you can be at the forefront of the polyethylene recycling industry.

Tell me about your experience so far?  What have your rotations been like?

In my 2 year programme I have rotated placements within our Recycled Products divisions. In one of my placements I ran quality projects for Heanor’s recycling department and in my next one I focused on Sustane and Plaswood production in Dumfries. In addition, I have carried out a R&D role at a bpi site in Ardeer which produces highly technical industrial and agricultural films.

The rotations have given me opportunity to have breadth and depth of experience in the positions as well as developing an appreciation for the support functions within the business.

What’s been the most innovative/exciting thing you have done or worked on so far?

I have worked on many innovative projects from creating a new quality system for our premium recycled product, Sustane, which is used at the forefront of post-consumer recycled plastic in plastic packaging to working on Visqueen non-combustible course.

I currently work in R&D within bpi which directly involves me in adding recycled content to our products.

What are you doing now?  Are you still on the programme or have you moved onto a role in the business?

I am still on the programme now, with 4 months left to go.

What’s your best advice for new graduates?

My advice for new graduates would be; don’t be afraid to ask questions or put your ideas out there, you are the fresh set of eyes within the business, you bring new experience, knowledge and ambition, and with that you can and will impact change within Berry bpi.

Idir Touhouche - Graduate 2018

Why did you choose the Berry bpi graduate programme?

The Berry bpi graduate programme offered a great structured scheme which would allow me to contribute to different business areas and learn about the manufacturing industry which is what I was looking for as a career starter.

Tell me about your experience so far? What have your rotations been like?

I have had the opportunity to work within different departments including technical, production, QA, external sales, and internal sales and get an understanding of how these different teams interlink with each other. Each rotation has allowed me to tap into different skills but also develop new skills and methods of work which has been very rewarding.

What’s been the most innovative/exciting thing you have done or worked on so far?

Working on various projects within the WaveGrip business has been one of the many interesting parts of the programme – these allowed me to make use of my technical background as well as my research and people skills in different ways than at university level, for instance when applying these to business development projects, which was really great.

What are you doing now? Are you still in the programme or have you moved onto a role in the business?

I completed my programme in 2020 and moved onto a role within bpi. Currently, I am a commercial coordinator, within the Internal Sales team, providing support for both our Ardeer and Greenock manufacturing sites. As part of this role, I manage a number of customer accounts across our industrial and agricultural sectors with the opportunity to work on exciting and significant customer projects.

What’s your best advice for new graduates?

Be open to and seek out new opportunities and aim to learn from everything. Do not be afraid to ask questions and listen to other people – there is always an opportunity to improve, and to learn from everyone.

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Berry bpi packaging solutions is a trading name of British Polythene Limited a company registered in England and Wales with Company Number 350729 and having its registered office at Sapphire House, Crown Way, Rushden, Northamptonshire, NN10 6FB