Q&R: A Day in the Life

By The Cornelius Group Q&R Team

Every day can be different in Q&R. We interact with multiple departments throughout the day, helping them to navigate any issues they may face, whilst maintaining our day-to-day activities we need to complete. From product onboarding and management to internal audits, our schedules can sometimes be unpredictable, as we have touch points in every department.

Dominika Niedzwiedz, Q&R Executive: “I love that every day I feel that I learn something new. One small enquiry can change my whole week – I never know what to expect next!”

Where do our team operate from?

There is a mixture of staff in our team, operating from our U.K. offices in Bishops Stortford and Haverhill to our team based in Warsaw, Poland. It can sometimes be a challenge working as part of an international team, but we maintain frequent communication to discuss any challenges or issues we may be facing.

Andrea Goodman, UKM Quality & Environmental Manager: “Because we work from different sites and countries I think we make more of an effort to stay connected.”

What is it like working across the U.K. and EU, especially after Brexit?

Brexit has created a challenging landscape for our team to navigate. Our U.K team cite preferential trade agreements and new rules for movement of stock as key changes. Whilst our Polish team note having to now treat the U.K. as a third-party country, which adds the necessity of normal import processes and custom clearance and controls. These can lead to many issues, such as delays and additional costs.

Edyta Dyksińska, Q&R Manager: “We’re lucky to work in a team that always communicates well. Whatever issues we may face, our team are always in close contact and support each other wherever necessary.”

What role does sustainability play in Q&R?

Across the board, we are noticing a trend in production focussed on sustainable sourcing, with customer demand for certified products and organically sourced raw materials becoming more frequent. Whether working on day-to-day sustainability through RSPO and soil association, plastic tax, or local involvement on site, our team remains focal to these considerations.

Emma Argent, Q&R Executive: “We lead the membership for the UN Global Compact, as well as championing our ISO 14001 certification, closely monitoring the environmental impact we have as a business.”

What does the life cycle approach mean for Q&R?

In the U.K., this process involves onboarding suppliers and products under the life cycle approach. It sees us making more enquiries around the full lifecycle of a product – a growing trend we are noticing across the industry. For our Polish team however, potential new regulations may aid this process in the future. According to our team, customers in Poland are somewhat more reluctant to disclose information on the impact of their activities regarding substances, disposal, and end use. This will remain a challenge for many companies, whilst sustainability and the lifecycle approach is not more widely understood and implemented.

George Maddock, Q&R Executive: “We have started to take more of an active involvement in where the product comes from, its compliance and further down the line, the end use for the products.”

How do you navigate challenging, technical questions?

A huge part of our role is customer facing. We are able to help them solve a broad variety of enquiries that we are presented with daily. Whilst some challenges we don’t immediately have the answer, our team remains available and approachable, not afraid to embrace an unchartered challenge and offer solutions. Our team remains on the pulse of new legislation and can offer the most up-to-date documentation and information for our customers, ensuring everything is compliant.

Danielle O’Connor, REACH & GDPR Specialist: “It’s great to be part of team where every member is hungry not just to learn the answers of the questions asked, but to dig a little deeper, and understand more about the role our business plays, and the positive and negative impacts of changes to our stakeholders.”

Is working in Q&R a ‘dinosaur’ role?

Q&R has notoriety for being an ageing occupation. But at Cornelius, across both of our sites, our teams are young, energetic, diverse, and vibrant in our approach to ensuring quality and regulatory compliance. We don’t tend to pay too much attention to a disparity in ages, as our team more important shares a similar mindset and approach – which keeps us all young!

Rukhsar Valimahomed, Regulatory Executive: “The ever changing landscape keeps us on our toes with many factors such as sustainability, new legislation, or consumer demands. Our roles are varied with unique challenges that require diverse solutions.”

Learn more about our Q&R team below…

Simon Moran, Group Head of Q&R: “Our team is enthusiastic, dynamic, and solution-focussed. Whilst our team is diligent and efficient, we still have time to think about other important questions, such as what our ideal remote work environment looks like…”